


Friendship Doesn't Change

by Nozoroomie



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Au where the third years were friends during their childhood, F/F, I tagged all the ships because I decided that even though theres hints to nozoeli, NozoNicoEli, ships could probably be up to your own interpretation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-01 19:19:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 33,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5217692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nozoroomie/pseuds/Nozoroomie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There weren’t a lot of times where Nozomi was able to make friends through the many moves her family had, but she never forgot the first girls that made their way into her heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Change

**Author's Note:**

> Hey friends! A new story that was originally intended to be a one shot, but grew so lengthy that it was a better choice to split it up into a few chapters. AU where Nozomi, Eli and Nico were friends during their childhood.
> 
> Special thanks to tumblr users nyamazing-cathlete for the story title and to pasdechat for contributing head canons and chapter titles to the story ;).
> 
> Enjoy friends~

“Nozomi! It's morning dear, time to get up!”

Nozomi's eyes twitch and a frown forms on her face as her mother's voice calls to her from the kitchen. She opens her eyes rather slowly and sits up, rubbing the sleep away and taking in the appearance of her room. Unpacked boxes are stacked on the floor along the walls and her frown deepens once she remembers that they had moved into their new apartment the day before.

The small child throws the blanket of her futon off of her and stands up, walking towards the exit and trying to remember exactly where the bathroom is. A quick glance down the hallway reminds her that this time it's at the very end and she quietly walks towards the bathroom to begin her morning routine. It's one of the few things that stays the same despite the amount of times her family moved.

With her teeth brushed, face washed and hair tied into two small braids, Nozomi makes her way back to the room she slept in. She quickly slips into the outfit she had picked out the night before and neatly folds up her futon, making sure that it would be easy to set up again later that night. After that she walks towards the kitchen, where her mother hurriedly washes the dishes that she used to make a quick breakfast and lunch for Nozomi.

“Good morning!” She greets with a smile.

“Good morning Mom.” Nozomi says with a tiny smile, happy to see that her mother was still home.

Her mother tries to make it a habit to be home before Nozomi's first day at a new school. Nozomi appreciates it, even if it means her mother has to stay later at the studio.

“Are you ready for your first day of school?” She asks with a smile, placing a plate down in front of Nozomi. The small girl shrugs, saying a quick prayer out loud before grabbing her chopsticks and digging in to her breakfast.

“I guess.” She mumbles before munching on some rice.

“You're going to do alright Nozomi. You always do.”

Nozomi's appetite is suddenly gone and she slowly places her chopsticks down, looking at her barely touched food with a frown. Putting on a fake smile and pretending that school was okay to her parents wasn't something Nozomi wanted to be good at.

“Are you and Dad going to be home late tonight?” She asks quietly, changing the topic. Her mother expression softens as she gazes at her daughter.

“I'm sorry Nozomi, you know how it gets. Dad will be filming the morning and evening news for the time being and the studio wants me to be the on scene reporter as well as the weather woman for the evening news while Furutani-san is on maternity leave. But the moment we get home we'll all have a meal together, okay?”

Nozomi nods her head, knowing already by the tone of her mother's voice that dinner with her parents that night was an empty promise. They'd both be too tired and order some sort of take out and sit in front of their television and discuss how the day at the studio for the both of them went while she silently listened to their discussions. Her mother and father both work at the same television studio downtown. Her father was a camera man while her mother was a television host and reporter. The two of them preferred to work on the scene and travel rather than stick in the studio and usually leapt at any and all offers to film and work outside of Tokyo. This was the main reason her parents moved from place.

Nozomi didn't really mind some of the places she went to. Because of their travels, she had seen many things girls her age had only dreamt about. Her parents had filmed many popular documentaries  focusing on things like well known landmarks throughout the world, animal habitats, international news, practically any and all out of country filming was something her parents enjoyed doing the most. Nozomi didn't have any direct family she could stay with in Japan, so she often accompanied her parents on their work trips and attended quite a number of schools. Her quiet nature and the looming thoughts of not staying in one place for too long kept her from getting closer to other kids her age and so she spent most of her time reading and self teaching herself the native languages of countries they stayed in.

Not long after finishing the dishes, her mother takes off the apron she wore and hangs it on a hook. Nozomi watches as her mother steps out of the kitchen and down the hallway, probably towards the room her and her father shared. The violet haired girl took this opportunity to take her almost full plate over to the garbage, scraping the barely touched food into the trash and throwing her plate into the sink.

“Alright Nozomi, I'm sorry I can't stay any longer but I need to head out if I want to get to work in time.” Nozomi's mom calls out as she heads down the hallway to the door, slipping on her work heels and putting on her jacket. “It's getting chilly out, so make sure you put on your sweater, okay? Oh! And don't forget we hid the spare key for you under the potted plant outside! Your lunch is on the counter and have a good day at your new school! Love you!”

Nozomi watches from the kitchen doorway as her mother quickly glances at her watch before making her hasty exit, leaving Nozomi alone in the uncomfortable apartment.

“Have a good day Mom...” Nozomi says quietly to herself, frowning as she heads to back to her room to grab her schoolbag and a sweatshirt from her unpacked box of clothes.

She quickly finds her favourite sweatshirt -a very plain pastel purple coloured sweater with oversized sleeves- and slips the article of clothing on with ease. She then moves over to the side and picks up her red schoolbag, walking slowly back to the kitchen to collect the lunch her mother had made for her. She sighs to herself before making her way to the front door and stepping carefully into her own shoes. After making sure they were on properly, she slips her school bag onto her shoulders and glances back into the empty apartment, muttering only loud enough for her to hear.

“I'm leaving.”

The small girl closed the door behind her, making sure that it was locked before gripping onto her bag straps and quietly making her way down the stairs and to the main road.

The way to school isn't too hard. Her father drove past it towards where their new apartment was the day before so that Nozomi had an idea of where she would have to go the following day. All she has to do is walk down the long street and make a left at the second road she came to. After that it's only a five minute walk until she makes it to the crosswalk that was only minutes away from her new school. It was simple enough for her to remember.

The walk is over before Nozomi realizes it and she now stood just in front of the school gates, looking in to the yard of the large building. She silently wonders how much time she would have to get used to this particular school before her parents announced they would be moving again. Not wanting to linger on those thoughts, the small girl makes her way towards the school and to the faculty office, where they  help figure out what class she would be transferring into and where to go.

She meets her new teacher very quickly -an elegant dark skinned woman with a smile that could warm even the coldest of hearts- and soon the two of them were on their way to the homeroom class. She politely asks Nozomi to wait outside before she introduces her to the class and Nozomi nods her head in understanding. The school bell goes off and her teacher steps inside, greeting the class and asking them to quiet down. Nozomi waits patiently as the teacher talks about a couple of things before saying the words that would be her cue to enter.

“We have a new student joining us today class!” Nozomi took in a small breath, calming the bit of anxiety she always felt before stepping in front of the class.

“Please come in, Tojo-san!”

Nozomi slowly opens the door and ignores the stares from her new peers as she walks towards the podium. The teacher asks her to write her name on the board and introduce herself and Nozomi does as she's told, quickly writing her name on the chalk board carefully and turning to the boys and girls her age.

“My name is Tojo Nozomi.” She says with no emotion. “It's a pleasure to meet all of you.” She bows to end the introduction, as she always did and the teacher speaks again to the students.

“Lets do our best to make Tojo-san feel welcome in our class, alright?”

Several different students reply while others stay quiet. Nozomi ignores the few kids who continue to stare and patiently waits for the teacher to direct her to a seat.

“Let's see... the only available spot seems to be just behind Yazawa-san near the window. Would you mind that, Tojo-san?”

“Not at all Sensei.” Nozomi replies, looking over to where said seat was.

Just in front of it sits a petite black haired girl with two low twin tails who pays little to no attention to the situation going on as she scribbles on a piece of paper in front of her. Next to the empty seat is a girl with blonde hair tied into a ponytail on top of her head with the brightest blue eyes Nozomi has ever seen. She glances away the moment Nozomi makes eye contact with her and Nozomi says nothing as she moves away from the podium and towards the empty seat.

She hangs her backpack on the back of her chair, pulls out her notebooks and takes her seat. The teacher smiles once Nozomi has sat down and begins calling out the names for attendance. Nozomi takes this time to fall back to her own thoughts and take in the classroom set up.

This one had a sunny theme to it. Bright orange and yellow decorations littered the bulletin boards at the side and back of the class and even alongside the sides of the chalkboard. Underneath a smaller sun was a square labeled cleaning duty, a few chalk eraser marks splayed on the board and new names written inside of it. Aside from the sun decorations, everything else seemed to be set up much like every other school Nozomi had attended before hand. There were some posters taped to the windows she sat near as well as window stickers that added for more decorations to brighten up the already lively room.

“Ayase-san?” The teacher calls out, bringing Nozomi out of her observations and back to the present.

“Yes?” Nozomi is startled to hear the blonde beside her answer the teacher and turns her way, taking a better look at the girl who sits next to her.

“Would you mind sharing your textbook for math with Tojo-san for today?” She smiles towards the two of them and Eli doesn't hesitate to respond.

“Of course not Sensei.” She stands up a bit, grabbing the ends of her desk and awkwardly moving it closer to Nozomi's.

The blonde -Ayase-san, if Nozomi heard right- says nothing as she take her seat again and slips her textbook between the both of them. Nozomi mumbles a small thank you and soon the teacher begins their lesson, which seems to focus on multiplying numbers past twelve. Nozomi's grateful most math curriculums she had between each school she attended were in tune with each other and it relieves her to know that she wouldn't need to catch up on any other math units.

The time to work on the math problems starts and immediately the girl in front of the two of them turns around, looking directly to the blonde.

“Hey Eli, can you explain the multiplication thing for me again? I don't think I did it right.” The black haired girl's bright red eyes avoid Nozomi as she looks directly to the other girl, who sighs and holds her hand out for the other girls notebook.

“Nico, you always ask me when you could just ask Sensei.” She grumbles before looking over the piece of paper that had been handed to her. “Well, you definitely got it wrong. Did you add the zero when you went to multiply the ones?”

She hands the paper back to the black haired girl who frowns, unable to understand how she got the problem wrong.

“We're supposed to add a zero?! Since when?!” The black haired girl groans as she faces them, grabbing Elis eraser and getting rid of her wrong answer.

“Since always.” The blonde, Eli, answers. “You honestly don't think eighteen groups of twelve equal ninety six did you?”

“No!” Nico says rather loudly. “That's why I asked you to check!”

Nozomi stays quiet as she works in her own notebook, answering the math problems with ease. She lets the conversation between the two girls next to her become background noise as she scribbles down the problems and their answers, always double checking problems that seem more difficult to make sure she has the right number at the end. She becomes oblivious to the black haired girl watching her until the sound of her whistling distracts her from her work.

“You're doing those pretty fast!” She comments, not looking at Nozomi's work but at her instead. “Are you good at multiplication?”

“Erm,” Nozomi awkwardly looks down, a bit embarrassed by the other girls observation. “I guess. When you understand what to do it's really easy to do all the problems.”

“Right?” Nozomi looks over to the blonde, surprised at how she jumps into the conversation so easily. “Nico just forgets steps often.”

“I don't! I just take time getting used to them!” Nico defends, huffing a bit and bringing her attention back to Nozomi. “Anyway, I'm Nico. She's Eli. Sorry you had to join our school in the middle of the term.”

The comment catches Nozomi by surprise. She begins wondering just how many more surprises this school would give her. Very little classmates at her past schools tried to socialize with her because of how quiet she was, and the ones who did were always the kind of student who was 'friends with everyone.' It wasn't the type of friendship Nozomi sought, especially since friends like that never tried to say in contact unless they truly liked you (which never seemed to be the case for her). As a result she usually pushed those kids away, keeping to herself so that she wouldn't be hurt by false friends. Now suddenly this girl she knew nothing of was apologizing for something she had no control over, yet it seems like she understood the kind of thing Nozomi was going through.

“Nico, you're freaking her out enough.” Eli suddenly comments, and Nozomi realizes quickly that she had been spacing out.

“O-Oh! N-no, that's not it at all!” Nozomi says quickly, her hands lifting and her face tinting a light shade of pink. “It was a really... unique greeting.” she picks her words carefully and puts her pencil down on the desk.

“I-I'm Nozomi.” Is all Nozomi says to them. She silently wonders if she should have included more in her personal introduction to them.

The two of them flash grins to Nozomi before turning back to their own work. Nico chooses to work facing them, asking Eli for occasional peer help on the problems to she if she got it right. Nozomi hesitantly picks her pencil back up and goes back to her own work, trying not to think too much about how interesting her desk neighbours were.

* * *

At lunch time, a couple of girls approach Nozomi and ask if she wants to eat lunch with them. She hesitates before shaking her head and apologizing, saying she'd rather eat by herself for the day. She thanks the girls anyway and watch as they walk away, shrugging to themselves and going about their own usual lunch plans. She sighs quietly, mentally scolding herself for pushing away yet another group of probably very kind people.

Wanting to forget about her socially awkward moment, Nozomi pulls out her lunch along with the current book she was reading. Thanks to her loss of appetite at breakfast, she was practically starving and thanked every god above that lunch had finally arrived. She opens her bento box up, staring at the carefully placed dishes inside of it. Her mother had gotten creative with all of her favourites.

After math class ended Eli had moved her desk back to the position it had been, separating their desks once again. Nozomi notices that Nico went from her seat to her neighbours, turning the chair in front of Eli around so the two of them could talk with each other while they ate their own lunches. As she looks out to the room, she notices various different groups of kids all eating together, paying no mind to anything else but their own groups and their own conversations. This wasn't the first time things like that happened when the violet haired girl switched schools, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

As she idly eats her lunch, Nozomi can feel the gazes of Nico and Eli on her. She ignores how she can see the two of them leaning closer and whispering in her peripheral vision, probably something about the way she eats or how quiet she is. She steels herself up, ignoring them more as she takes a final bite of her food. Half of her lunch goes uneaten, but Nozomi can't bring herself to finish it.

This was the worst part about transferring schools. Getting used to the new classes and work wasn't too hard, but the curious or harsh gazes of her peers were too unnerving. She knew she was being talked about. She knew that if she looked up, other kids would pretend to mind their own business. It was the same at every school and this one was no different from the others. She stayed quiet to avoid being talked about more. She kept to herself so students would stop looking her way. Nozomi would rather blend into the background and go unnoticed than be stared at and talked about. Even if it wasn't negative things. Even if they were just curious stares. All of it could get overwhelming when you were forced to change schools.

Continuing to ignore the stares, Nozomi closes her bento box and slides it to the top corner, pulling her book closer and opening it up to where she had it bookmarked. She sighs quietly to herself again as she begins to read, growing lost in the fictional world her book takes her to. She can feel the stares of her neighbours slowly pull away and she resists the urge to sigh in relief now that she could finally fully immerse herself into her novel.

Unbeknownst to her, the black haired girl leans just a bit closer to her blonde haired friend, whispering to her again for the second time that lunch period.

“See, even reading. No smile.” She whispers.

“She's probably sad she had to leave her other friends.” The blonde whispers back. “No kid would just smile when they're nervous on their first day at a new school. I didn't.”

“Yeah but you're weird.” Nico retorts. Eli reaches her hand out and flicks Nico's forehead, causing the black haired to recoil and rub the now sore spot

“It was a joke!” She practically shouts, frowning deeply at the blonde.

“It was rude.” Eli replies, closing her empty bento box. “Anyway, why do you want to see her smile so bad right now?”

“I dunno.” Nico plays with her chopsticks a bit, giving it some thought. “She just sorta reminds me of you when you transferred.”

Eli spares another glance towards her neighbour, watching her turn the page of her book and continue to read. Her face was straight, expressionless, but her eyes were like an open window. It was just like Eli had been when she transferred to this elementary school last year. She felt the pain Nozomi must have been going through, and it was one of the few things that was starting to draw the blonde to her.

“I see your point.” she says quietly. “Okay Nico. I'm with you.”

Nico smirks triumphantly and crosses her arms.

“Perfect. Operation befriend the new girl is a go!”

* * *

 

The end of the day finally came and Nozomi closes her novel up. The class was given free time for the last fifteen minutes of the day and she chose to spend it reading her book. The time went by quick and before she knew it the bell had rung and the class was quick to evacuate the room. By the time she had finished the chapter, the only ones left were the teacher and the student on cleaning duty. She marks the page she leaves off on with her bookmark and carefully slips in into her backpack before making her way out of the class and to the front of the school.

She slowly makes her way towards the school gates and continues to walk down the road, looking at the ground rather than the path in front of her. She becomes lost in her own little world of thinking, deciding to finish her lunch when she got home and start on the bit of homework that was assigned to the class. If she finished that fast enough, maybe she'd read ahead or take a walk around the area. It was a lot livelier than other spots she lived in before, not to mention the spiritual energy she got just from her walks alone were enough to help her feel content. Her parents wouldn't mind, they wouldn't be home until late anyway so it wasn't like she would get in trouble for going for a walk by herself.

She looks up just a bit too late and accidentally bumps into a person who had stopped in front of her. The both of them shout in alarm, doing their best to stand on both their feet and not topple over.

“I-I'm so sorry!” Nozomi shouts apologetically. “I wasn't looking where I was going, I didn't mean to bump into you!”

“It's oka- oh! Tojo-san!” Nozomi blinks in slight surprise and is met by the bright blue eyes of her blonde haired classmate.

“U-uhm.. Ayase-san?” Nozomi asks hesitantly, relief washing over her when the blonde smiles, signalling she got the name right.

“You're out later than the other kids.” Eli comments rather bluntly. Nozomi blushes embarrassed and nods.

“Are you heading home now?” The blonde asks with a curious smile. Nozomi nods again at her.

“Well, since we're both heading this way why don't we walk home together?”

Nozomi inhales sharply and isn't exactly sure how to respond. Would Eli want to walk the whole way with her? What if Eli's house was out of the way of her place and Eli ends up feeling obligated to walk Nozomi the whole way home? They were only classmates and Nozomi didn't want to awkwardly sit next to someone who regretted walking out of the way to her house. She opens her mouth to respond before a shout from behind her distracts both her and Eli.

“YOU ACTUALLY STAYED!”

There's a small laugh from Eli as Nico runs towards them, her breathing heavy and loud as she stops in front of them. Nozomi looks at her with slight concern before she stands straight, holding up a printout that had been given out as their homework.

“And you managed to get the printout before I started walking away.” Eli replies with a cheeky grin. “Good timing too, I just asked Tojo-san if she wanted to walk home with us."

Suddenly feeling like she might be interrupting the time between the two of them, she opens her mouth to decline Eli's original offer before Nico cuts her off again.

“Sweet! What way do you live Tojo-san?” Nico asks, turning her full attention onto the gaping green eyed girl.

“U-uhm-” Shes a bit hesitant to answer, but at the gazes of bright red and blue eyes she finds herself telling the two of them the address of her building.

“That sounds familiar. Isn't that on your street Eli?” Nico asks. Eli ponders it and nods.

“Yeah! Is it the grey building that only has four floors?”

“I-It is.” Nozomi isn't sure if she's impressed or scared at the accurate guess Eli made.

“That isn't too far from my place.” She smiles a bit wider and glances at Nico. “Nico lives one road over from our street. So we can all walk together!”

Nozomi wants to turn them down. To push them away. Her mind is telling her that if she doesn't do just that, they might get attached. She might get attached. She opens her mouth yet again to try to say no to the invitation, but she soon realizes that even if she did say no, the two of them would be walking the same way. She'd have to feel their judging gazes on her for the majority of her walk home. She does nothing but look down, unsure of what to say now that the three of them were a walking home group.

“Well, let's not wait here any longer. If I make it home in time I get to feed my baby sister!” Nico grins a bit as she takes a couple steps forward. Eli follows, walking alongside her. Nozomi stares between the two before following only a couple steps behind them, keeping her hands gripped on the straps of her bag.

“It's remarkable how excited you still are about her even though she's four months old now.” Eli says, looking towards Nico. “It's cute.”

“Of course it's cute!” Nico replies proudly. “I'm the cutest nine year old there is!”

“Yeah yeah. Of course you are.” Eli waves her hand and laughs. “Hey Tojo-san, do you have any siblings?”

Nozomi watches Eli and Nico glance at her and she shakes her head. Eli smiles a bit.

“So you're an only child then?”

Nozomi nods.

“Ahh, I can remember when I was an only child.” Nico turns her attention back in front of her and lifts her arms in the air, stretching as she walks. “It was fun, but I'm getting used to the sibling life. It isn't so bad. It's not lonely at least!”

Nozomi winces slightly from the comment. It goes unnoticed by the two in front of her and she turns her attention back to the ground.

The walk with them is chatty. Nico is quite the talkative girl, talking about anything and everything that came to mind. Eli puts her two cents in whenever she wants and sometimes she moves onto a new topic between the two of them. Nozomi pays little attention to the conversations unless they ask for her opinions. She answers them with a nod or a shake of her head, grateful that most of them were easy yes or no questions. She silently hopes the walk home would be over soon. 

“I'm telling you Eli, a bunny is by far the superior pet! They're tiny, you keep them in cute little pens where they can hop around safely, they love eating veggies and they're quiet! There is no better pet than a bunny!” Nico's voice is suddenly a bit louder and Nozomi finds herself paying more attention to the two of them.

“Not true!” Eli counters quickly. “Have you ever seen a kitten yawn? It's by far the cutest thing in the world. Cats don't need to be in pens and they're great bed buddies!”

The two glare at each other before their heads turn directly to Nozomi. Nozomi stops walking from the intense gazes and shrinks in on herself a bit, wondering what would happen next.

“Tojo-san, what do you think?!” Nico asks immediately. Nozomi blinks confused before tilting her head to the side.

“A-about... Bunnies and cats?” She says with confusion.

“Which would be a better pet.” Eli says, clearing up all the mystery. “Nico says bunnies are better. I say cats are better. Between the two of them, what would you say?”

 Nozomi stares between the two girls who wait patiently for her answer. She gives it a bit of thought before shrugging.

“I've never had either as a pet, but I imagine a cat might be easier to take care of than a bunny.”

“See?! Cats are better.” Eli says with a smirk. Nico frowns.

“That isn't what Tojo-san said! She said cats are easier to take care of! That doesn't mean they're better!”

Blue and red eyes are on Nozomi again and she puts a bit more thought into it, weighing the pros and cons of each animal.

“I... guess if it's only between those two, the cat might be better.”

Eli's proud smirk is on her face again and Nico pouts.

“Agree to disagree then!” She says with a small shrug. “Bunnies will forever be better to me.”

“That's fine.” Eli says, her smirk becoming a grin. “One day I'll get a cat and you'll come over all the time because you'll love how perfect she is.”

“If you say so.” Nico replies. “Hey Tojo-san, if you could have any kind of pet, what would you have?”

Both Eli and Nico focus on Nozomi again, slowing themselves down so that they're walking on either side of her. Nozomi's expression remains the same as she glances to either side of her, looking at the two girls briefly before speaking.

“I don't really know.” She confesses. “I've never been allowed to have a pet, but I remember wanting a dog for a little while because one of my neighbours had one.”

“Oooh!” Nico and Eli echo. Nico grins a bit and takes a couple steps ahead, turning around and walking backwards so she faces them.

“My grandparents have a dog! She's a really old pug and really silly. They have really cute curled up tails too!” 

Nico goes on to talk about the dog while Nozomi lets her thoughts drift again. The two girls talk so casually with her and include her in all their conversations the whole walk home so far. They were so nice and unlike other kids Nozomi had known, she couldn't help but be intrigued by them. Were they genuinely seeking for her friendship? Or did they just want to know more about the new girl? What was it that drew them to her? These questions swam through Nozomi's mind as Nico and Eli stop.

“Okay! This is where we part. See you guys tomorrow!” Nico waves to them before turning around and walking across the street. Eli waves back and Nozomi holds her hand up, shyly doing the same.

“See you tomorrow Nico!” Eli calls out before turning to Nozomi. “Guess we should head home now too.”

Nozomi nods at Eli and the two walk side by side quietly down the sidewalk. Nozomi isn't sure if they should be talking throughout their journey, but it isn't like the silence between them is awkward. It's nice, and rather calming. Nozomi doesn't feel as nervous as she had when the walk began, and she wonders if part of the reason for that was because of all the conversations they included her in.

They soon reach her apartment and Nozomi turns to Eli.

“T-this is my stop.” She says awkwardly, pointing to the building.

“Alright.” Eli replies, giving her a kind smile. “Which apartment is yours?”

“...306.” Nozomi answers cautiously.

“306... okay! Got it!” Eli flashes her another smile before lifting her hand. “Thanks for walking with us Tojo-san. See you tomorrow!”

Nozomi watches as Eli turns away and begins to walk again. She finds herself watching the blonde curiously for only a moment longer before heading towards the building. She climbs up the stairs and walks down the hallway to where the potted plant is outside her apartment. She lifts it carefully, grabbing the hidden key and unlocks the door with a small click.

“I'm home.” Nozomi calls out to the empty apartment, her voice echoing off of the bare walls.

No reply came, just like she expects. She takes her shoes off, placing them nicely to the side and slipping on a pair of slippers by the door. But her thoughts don't linger on the empty house and the tasks she decided to do, but rather the two girls who joined her on the walk home. Nozomi couldn't take her mind off the two of them as she grabs the kettle to make herself a cup of tea. She wonders if tomorrow would be the same, what other things Eli and Nico might talk about. She wonders about their personalities, what they like, what they dislike. She finds herself wanting to know much more about them. Maybe tomorrow she'll try to be apart of the conversations more.

With that thought in mind, Nozomi decides to pull out her left overs and finish them before getting to work on the printout.

* * *

 

The first week passes by quicker than Nozomi thought it would. Every day after school, Eli and Nico wait outside for her and together the three of them walked home. They still weren't on a first name basis, but Nozomi was starting to enjoy the walks home with them and even work periods, because Nico would often turn around to her to ask for help on a problem rather than go out of her way to bug Eli. The violet haired girl didn't mind answering the questions, and Nico always thanked her with a bright smile. It always left a warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of Nozomi's stomach.

Since it was the end of the week, Nico and Eli were discussing what they wanted to do together over the weekend.

“I can do anything before four on Saturday,” Eli says. “After that I need to go home for dinner and then head to dance practice. Then I'm free all Sunday!”

“I thought you only had dance on Monday's and Thursday's.” Nico quirks an eyebrow at Eli and Eli smiles.

“My instructor is holding an extra dance practice for all of us in the competition on Saturday nights.” The blue eyed girl explains. “I want to win it, so I'm going to the studio early and leaving a bit later.”

“Well, good luck with that then.” Nico comments, turning to Nozomi. “What about you Tojo-san? Are you free this weekend?”

Nozomi thinks for a moment and shrugs.

“My Mom and Dad work Saturday morning and then come home and we'll probably finish unpacking the rest of the stuff. I don't think it will take two days so I guess that leaves me with nothing on Sunday.”

“Cool! You're free, Eli's free, I probably don't have anything, let's hang out!” Nico suggests. “We can hang out at my place or go to the park!”

“Sounds fun, I'm in!” Eli says, grinning. “What about you Tojo-san?" 

“U-uhm-” She blanks, unsure of what to say.

Nozomi's internally panicking at the invitation. She just told them she wasn't doing anything, it's pretty much impossible to decline it now. Not that she'd want to, but she's never gone to a friends house to hang out before. She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous.

“I-I'll ask my parents tonight.” Nozomi eventually says, clinging to her backpack straps tighter.

The two girls smile widely at her and Nozomi could feel an unfamiliar feeling swirling in her chest. She felt nervous, but there was a hint of excitement that was slowly building up. What would they do together? What interests did they have? Would they just sit and watch movies? Would they play board games? Would they go to the park with a baseball bat and some gloves and take turns playing a weird three person game of baseball? There were so many possibilities Nozomi's head was spinning and she lost track of the conversation between the other two.

“Oh oh! I just remembered! Okay guys, guys. Pay attention. You gotta see this!” Nico stops the two of them and stands in front of them with a bright grin. “Papa helped me figure out a perfect idol catchphrase! He said it's guaranteed to make someone smile!”

Eli and Nozomi share a quick look and Eli quirks her eyebrow with a small smile.

“Oh yeah? Let's see it then.”

Nico's hands shoot up, her middle and ring fingers closing in while the rest of them stayed upright. They sit on either side of her face and move with her as she begins to chant.

“Nico Nico Nii~ A Nico Nico smile straight to your heart! Yazawa Nico- Nico gave you a smile~!”

Nico ends her chant with a hand heart and look towards both Nozomi and Eli with an expectant gaze. The blonde and violet haired girls are silent as they stare towards their peer, taking in exactly everything they had just seen. Nico's lower eye twitches and she stands straight, clearing her throat and speaking again.

“I-It's still a work in progress. "

“I-I see.” Eli comments. She tries to think of an appropriate answer for exactly what she thought of Nico's 'charming' idol intro but before she can even pull the words together, the shaking of the person next to her distracts her from her thoughts.

“Pff..” Nozomi lifts her hands to cover her mouth, trying harder than ever to contain her laughter.

“T-Tojo-san?” Eli looks at her worriedly. “A-are... are you okay?”

“Y-y-yeah!” She squeaks, shaking a bit more. “T-that... that was...” She turns her head away, shaking more and the sound of a small giggle finally emerge from her lips.

Nico and Eli face each other with wide eyes, unsure if they heard the tiny noise right or not. It was so faint and quiet and yet so sudden, they really weren't positive if it was part of their imagination or not. When they face Nozomi again her shakes subside for only a moment as she seems to have complete control of herself. She lowers her hands from her mouth and looks back to the two girls, face composed and back to the neutral expression she normally wore.

But all it took was one glance at Nico to break her mask and the two friends jump when Nozomi suddenly bursts out into a loud fit of laughter, unable to contain her giggles.

“W-WHAT WAS THAT?! YOU LOOKED SO SILLY!” She shouts in her happy laughter, holding her stomach and bending over as her laughter continues.

It quickly hits her that there's a chance Nico might have been offended by her sudden laughter and she looks up in horror, covering her mouth and staring wide eyed at the raven haired girl.

“I-I'm sorry!” She whispers. “I-I wasn't making fun of you or any-” She quickly stops her explanation and looks in confusion at both Nico and Eli, who are wide eyed and staring at her in awe.

“Oh my gosh it WORKED!” Nico shouts, grinning uncontrollably and throwing her fist in the air successfully. “It made someone smile! It made Tojo-san smile!”

“W-what..!?” Nozomi stares even more confused between the two of them while Eli continues to smile, grabbing her hands and lowering them from her mouth.

“Tojo-san, we were starting to think that you didn't really like walking home with us or anything. I'm glad we were wrong.”

“H-huh?!” Nozomi's lost as Eli lets go of her hands, grinning sheepishly at her.

“We've been trying to help you get used to the school and be a good friend to you all week. We were starting to think you didn't like us or were bothered by us.”

Nico continued to chant in the background as it dawns on Nozomi how they were feeling. She immediately shakes her head, staring at Eli with wide turquoise eyes.

“N-No! T-that's not it at all! I really like walking with you two! You're both really sweet and nice, I've never met anyone that makes me as curious as you two do.” She says quickly, blushing in embarrassment.

“Ehh, really?!” Nico cuts in, stopping her chants and looking directly at Nozomi. “With how quiet you were when we tried to talk to you, we just thought you didn't really wanna be our friend.”

The words cause Nozomi to freeze and she stares at the two of them in bewilderment.

“F-Friend?” She asks, unsure if she heard right. “You guys want to be my friend?”

“Of course!” Eli says with a laugh. “We know how scary it can be to be the new kid and what it's like to enter new places by yourself. But we thought you were really nice and decided we wanted to be your friend. We know we're kinda weird and don't always get along, but we thought maybe you'd wanna be our friend too.”

Nozomi doesn't know what to say as tears slowly start pouring from her eyes and Eli and Nico are looking worriedly at her again.

“Eli! You made her cry!” Nico hisses and Eli quickly begins freaking out, going into her pocket and grabbing her handkerchief.

“D-Don't cry Tojo-san! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry, please stop crying!” She fumbles with the piece of cloth and presses it hastily to Nozomi's face.

“Ah!” Nozomi winces when Eli's hand pushes too hard and lifts her hands. Eli shouts, apologizing again for being clumsy and pulling her hand away while Nozomi holds the handkerchief there.

“I-It's okay! It's okay!” Nozomi assures, registering the wetness of her tears on the fabric and laughing a bit. “I-it just caught me off guard is all.”

Nico and Eli don't say anything as Nozomi wipes her eyes and sniffles. 

“I-It's just-” She hesitates a bit, smiling slightly as she looks at the two of them. “I've never had friends before.” 

The blonde and raven haired girls stay quiet as Nozomi sniffles again and looks down as she clutches Eli's handkerchief. It's the first time she's ever said that aloud and actually hearing the words come out of her mouth brought a whole other feeling to her. She wasn't quite sure if it was sadness or relief, but it must have been a weird combination between the two. She closes her eyes as she remembers past times where moments she could have had friends flashed by. So many times she may have been able to be on first name basis' or even visited each others houses were gone because she kept to herself and didn't want to feel the pain of having to leave her new friends behind. 

“Well you do now!” Nico declares, causing Nozomi's eyes to shoot open in alarm. 

Nozomi looks up, her eyes wide and looking back at the other two girls, who wear bigger smiles as they look at her. Nozomi's speechless as the two of them hold their hands out for her. “That is, if you want us to be.” Eli adds to Nico's declaration.

Nozomi stares at the two outstretched hands, unsure of how to react. 

'What if we have to leave them?' A voice inside her head asks.

It's true. The possibility of having to leave Nico and Eli one day was very high. But these girls were different. These girls might be the type to try and stay in touch with her. To continue being her friend. They have such an interesting dynamic, one is loud and proud, the other is cool and collected. They’re so different and yet they are the best of friends, and they want to bring her into their own little world. A world Nozomi had yet to explore.

'Maybe it will be worth it.' Nozomi replies to the voice, smiling as she comes to her decision.

With a bit of hesitance, Nozomi pockets Eli's handkerchief and reaches her own hands out, slowly placing them in the palms of Nico and Eli. She's not even surprised at the differences between the both of their hands. Nico's are tiny, yet softer than Nozomi expects. The ruby eyed girl's fingers tightly wrap themselves around Nozomi's hand, giving it a firm squeeze. It's much different than Eli's, who has a slightly bigger hand than her own. Her fingers gently hold onto Nozomi's and the warmth from Eli quickly spreads through Nozomi's own hand.

The violet haired girl smiles a bit shyly and the trio can't stop their grins and small giggles as they begin the walk home again, their fingers interlocking as they walk down the sidewalk in the direction of their homes. It's the first big step into something new for Nozomi, and she happily welcomes the exciting nervous bubble she feels at idea of sharing the news with her parents later that night.

She smiles more to herself as she imagines the happy smiles they'll have when she announces she made her very first friends today.


	2. Growing Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fun begins and Nozomi grows to love these two girls quickly. For once everything is right and everything feels good as Nozomi finally experiences what it's like to have friends of her own, but just how long will it last until she has to leave again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are many of you students right now relating to that picture of Squidward kissing the pile of paper and I can't help but feel that exact same way as I upload this.
> 
> Hello everyone! It's later than I would have liked but I worked extra hard trying to edit this and type it up. It's lengthy, it's full of great things and also some not so great things. 
> 
> Fact: Most of the time was spent editing this and I want to say I'm joking but I'm really not, I spent a lot more time rereading and hoping I got absolutely everything but as always, there may be some tenses missed, some typos or some stray words that don't really belong. I apologize but hope you still enjoy the chapter!

“You said it was apartment 306, right?” Nico whispers as her and Eli stand a few feet away from the apartment door.

“Mhm.” Eli hums. “Apartment 306. This is Non-tan's house.”

The two nine year old's stand perfectly still as they stare at the white door with the numbers “306” on the front of it. The three girls chose to meet before lunch time to hang out, but Nico and Eli were too excited to wait and wanted to surprise Nozomi with hanging out a couple hours earlier than planned. It was just past ten thirty and Nico took a step forward.

“Let’s get Non-tan then.” She whispers, holding her hand out and ringing the doorbell.

The black haired girl takes a step back and her and Eli wait patiently as the sounds of movement behind the door can be heard. The soft click of a lock turning is heard and the girls can feel their excitement rise as the door opens and reveals a woman with short violet hair and bright green eyes that matched her daughter's. She looks around in confusion before noticing the two girls and she pauses for a moment, a look of surprise on her face before a smile slowly grows.

“Hello girls,” She greets. “May I help you?”

“Good morning!” Eli and Nico say at the same time, embarrassing each other slightly as the woman's smile becomes more amused.

“My name is Ayase Eli, this is Yazawa Nico.” Eli begins, introducing her and Nico as she recovers from her embarrassment. “W-We're Nozomi's friends.”

“We wanted to surprise her by picking her up instead of meeting up with her.” Nico adds quickly. “We don't mind waiting if she isn't ready.”

“It's lovely to meet you two.” Nozomi's mother says with great fondness, opening the door a bit. “I'm Nozomi' mother. I believe she just woke up not too long ago, so why don't you two come wait inside? It's warmer in here than out there.”

The two girls smile and step into the apartment, thanking Nozomi's mother as she closes the door behind them. The older woman smiles before calling down the hallway, a bit of excitement in her voice.

“Nozomi!”

“Yeaaah?” The reply is muffled and sleepy sounding. Both Eli and Nico share a gaze full of excitement.

“Could you come here for a moment?!” Nozomi's mother decides to be a bit sneaky about Nico and Eli arriving early, and Nico finds herself beaming a bit more at the addition to their surprise visit.

“Kaaaay.”

The sound of feet shuffling down the hallway is heard and it isn't long before Nozomi walks into their view, toothbrush in her mouth and still clad in her moon pattern pyjamas. Her hair is loose from its usual braids, leaving it to cascade in wavy tresses down her back and over her shoulders. Eli is caught in a breathless state while Nico's face lights up in delight as Nozomi's eye squint to adjust to what she's seeing.

“Your friends came early to pick you up.” Nozomi's mother says with a hint of a mischievous smile. The young girl's eye widen at the realization and she lets go of her toothbrush, leaving it to hang in her mouth as she makes awkward eye contact with both Nico and Eli.

“Surprise!” Nico shouts. Upon noticing Eli doesn't join in or say anything, she quickly nudges the blonde back into reality. Eli sputters a bit and recomposes herself, shaking her head and grinning just as brightly as Nico.

“What Nico said!” She adds. Nozomi's mom laughs a bit and steps away from the doorway.

“Why don't you let your friends wait in your room while you get ready Nozomi?” Her mom suggests, and Nozomi doesn't hesitate to nod in agreement.

“Thif way!” She says awkwardly with her toothbrush and toothpaste still in her mouth and waving for them to walk inside.

“Pardon our intrusion.” Nico and Eli say, slipping their shoes off and walking past Nozomi's mom, who watches as Nozomi quickly leads them away from her towards the bedroom.

“I-I'll be back in a sec!” Nozomi says, trying her best to speak in a clear voice and not get toothpaste over her guests.

“It's all good Non-tan.” Nico says with a wave, stepping inside the room and glancing around it curiously. Eli is still distracted by Nozomi, unable to keep her bright blue iris' away from her as she runs back down the hallway towards the bathroom.

“Non-tan has really cute hair, doesn't she Nico?” Eli asks, turning her attention to the twin tailed girl as she looks around Nozomi's bedroom.

“Yeah, it's super wavy. I bet it's a hassle to brush sometimes.” She smiles a bit as she looks towards a small stuffed raccoon, picking it up and giving it a squishy hug before putting it back down.

“I bet it'd be fun to brush.” Eli mumbles quietly, deciding to look around the room and take in its appearance for herself.

Just as they expect, everything is neatly set up in a Nozomi like manner. Her futon has yet to be folded up and lays messily on the floor just underneath the window, where sunbeams trickle in through the rather plain curtains. The walls were free from photos or posters, and the only decorations Nozomi seems to have on display were books along her book case, the stuffed raccoon, a framed photo of Nozomi and her parents and and unopened deck of cards that rested nicely next to one of Nozomi's school work books.

Nozomi returns quickly, free of her toothbrush and toothpaste and wearing a sleepy smile.

“You guys are early.” She comments happily, closing her door. “Did you both plan this?”

Nico grins proudly, nodding to confirm Nozomi's guess is correct.

“You bet we did! We wanted to surprise you.”

Nozomi laughs quietly and yawns, rubbing the lingering sleep from her eyes. Eli holds back a giggle as Nozomi look longingly towards the futon before grabbing a pile of neatly folded clothes.

“You definitely did.” Her smile grows wide and she looks at the two of them with bright eyes. “It was the best surprise I've ever had.”

Both Eli and Nico feel their chests swell with pride. Just seeing the happiness that radiates from their friend is more than enough for the two of them to feel happy too.

“I'll just get dressed and then we can go to Nicocchi's.” Nozomi says with another yawn, slipping out of her room with the pile of clothes and heading back into the bathroom. Nico grins a bit as she turns to Eli with the happy smile.

“This is going to be the best. I can feel it.” the black haired girl whispers excitedly. Eli nods.

“We're gunna have a lot of fun.” She adds.

Nozomi soon returns, quickly finishing the last of her second braid as she steps into her room to greet her friends properly. The sleepy, tired expression now gone and replaced with an excited and bright smile as she ties a ponytail to the end of her braid. She quickly folds the futon up where it is on the floor and grabs the bag she prepared the night before, ready for the trip to Nico's house.

“Okay! I'm ready!” Nozomi announces.

The other girls beam and together the three of them make their way back towards the entrance of Nozomi's apartment. They excitedly throw on their shoes and before Nozomi can shout her goodbyes, her mother peers into the hallway from the kitchen entrance.

“Nozomi, can you come here for a moment?”

The violet haired girl turns to her friends, smiling apologetically before slipping her shoes off and dashing to the kitchen, hoping whatever her mother says will be quick.

“Yes? What is it?” She asks curiously, suddenly intrigued by the plate of toast in the center of the table. She makes her way too it, grabbing a piece and taking a large bite.

“Dad and I are going to be doing some shopping tonight, but we want you to be home by seven, okay?” She doesn't look away from her laptop as she types up a speedy e-mail. Nozomi nods and takes another bite of her toast.

“Mmkay.” She says through a mouthful of bread. She swallows it quickly and glances worriedly to the doorway before talking in a quieter voice. “Will you and Dad be home when I come home?”

Her mother pauses her typing, giving the question some thought before nodding.

“Dad probably won't be, but I will be.”

Nozomi holds back her sigh of relief and nods.

“Okay, I'll see you tonight!” Before she can make her hasty exit and shove the rest of her toast in her mouth, her mom stops her again.

“Hold on hold on!” She says with a laugh. “Don't be so quick, I have one more thing for you.”

Nozomi has to resist the urge to frown when her mother moves into the large bag on the chair next to her. Without much looking she pulls out a rather fancy looking travel case, unzipping the zipper and pulling out a decently sized digital camera. Nozomi's eyes sparkle and her lips turn upward in a smile as her mother inspects the camera before placing it back into it's travel safe bag.

“I get to take the camera with me?!” She asks excitedly, moving over to her mother. The older woman chuckles and drapes the fancy travel bag around Nozomi's neck, bending down and placing a small kiss on top of the young girl's head.

“Absolutely. Make some good memories today and take as many photos as your heart desires.”

Nozomi laughs and promises she will before she heads out the doorway again to the two girls who stood semi impatiently in the apartment doorway. She gets her shoes on quickly and slips her other bag onto her shoulder, calling out behind her.

“I'm off now!”

“Have a good day girls!” Nozomi's mother shouts from the kitchen, followed by a concerned grunt and the movement of heavier footsteps. Peering from the living room doorway was a taller man with broad shoulders and a hint of excitement in his deep green eyes.

“Be safe. Don't talk to strangers.” He comments looking over the three young girls. “Take care now.”

“Yes sir!” The three girls say at the same time. Nozomi looks at Eli and Nico in surprise while the two of them feel a second wave of embarrassment from saying the same thing at the same time again. Nozomi laughs airily before opening the door.

Together the three of them step out of the warm apartment into the chilly autumn air, ready to begin  the eventful day ahead of them.

* * *

 

“And...there! Perfect! Stay just like that Non-tan! You look great!”

Nozomi stands in an exaggerated pose, glancing nervously over to Eli who stands in a very similar pose next to her. She's thankful for the compliment, because otherwise she would have believed she was doing this much differently than how Nico saw it.

“The perfect signature poses for you two! Now we'll take official idol snapshots!” She grins a bit as she suddenly takes an arrangement of photos of the blonde and violet haired girls.

“I-is this what real idols do?” Nozomi asks Eli in a hushed voice.

“Honestly? Probably not. At least, not like this anyway.” She whispers back.

“Okay got it!” Nico says with an excited grin. “Now maybe we should all try singing...”

“You said that ten minutes ago and then you remembered your little sisters are napping.” Eli comments dryly, standing straight and stretching a bit. “We could always practice something else idols do. Like dancing!”

“Nice try.” Nico replies, putting the camera down on her dresser. “You gotta have music to dance to to do that. You just wanna get some sneaky practice dance time in don't you?!”

“What?! No!” Eli looks slightly offended at her accusation. Nozomi stands properly and smiles as she looks over at the two of them.

The walk there had ended up turning eventful when Nico began talking about a new single one of her favourite idols had released. When she talked about the dance video and how said idol was the greatest person in existence, Nozomi had asked if an idol was similar to singers and bands. Eli had wanted to answer but Nico seemed very surprised that Nozomi had lived in Japan for so many years of her life and didn't know exactly what an idol was.

A quick drag down the street and a couple hours of watching videos later, Nico had roped Eli and her into practicing idol poses and into a game of pretend. At least, that's what Nozomi had thought it was in the beginning until Nico declared it would be practice for when they debuted as real idols. Eli made a comment that there was no way the three of them would be their own idol group, especially when they all had different dreams for their future. Nico had been pretty adamant that they practice anyway because “you never know what the future will bring.”

In the long run Nozomi really didn't care. Practicing to be an actual idol wasn't what she had expected it to be and she was enjoying it immensely, despite not knowing anything that Nico had been talking about or referring too, but Eli was quick to help her if she got confused. She watches both Eli and Nico argue about what they could do next and sneakily grabs the camera off of the dresser, turning it on and preparing it for a spontaneous photo.

“Hey Elichi, Nicocchi.” Nozomi says as she brings the camera up, preparing to take the snapshot.

Both girls turn their faces to her, Eli's in a questioning stare while Nico still had a serious gaze. Nozomi took the photo almost immediately, just before the surprised expressions settled on her friends faces.

“Hey! That's sneaky!” Nico pouts as Nozomi brings the camera down, looking at the screen to see how the photo turned out.

She laughs at the results, which causes both Nico and Eli to walk over and peer over her shoulder to see how bad the photo actually is. A smile quickly spreads on Eli's face at the stern expression Nico has and Nico can't help but laugh out loud at how Eli had went from furrowed eyebrows to wide eyes in the instant the photo was taken.

“Hey wait, I've got an idea!” Nico says, looking to Eli and Nozomi excitedly. “Why don't we watch a dance video and try to learn it!? It can't be too hard since we watched a lot earlier, and we wont need to play the videos loudly since we'll be watching and copying movements like that.”

“I like that idea!” Eli says with a grin. “Will your mom let us borrow her computer again?”

“I'll ask!” Nico runs over to her door, slipping out of it and speed walking as quietly as possible down the hallway.

Nozomi takes this time to look at Eli and ask her questions.

“Is Nicocchi always this passionate about idols?” She asks first. Eli nods.

“There's nothing else in the world she loves more than her family, her friends and idols.” She says with a small smile. “You'll get used to it. It's cute in its own way.”

Nozomi smiles a bit.

“I ,uhm, I'm not really the best dancer though.” the violet haired girl says rather quietly. “But I'll do my best.”

“Don't worry about that Non-tan. Nico was really REALLY bad at first too. She kept tripping over her own feet and doing poses the opposite way they were supposed to be.” Eli laughs a bit as she recalls Nico's early attempts at dancing and gives Nozomi a reassuring smile. “You'll get better with practice.”

It's hard for Nozomi not to return the happy smile, especially when Eli is staring at her with an overwhelming amount of happiness. She finds herself quickly bringing the camera up, snapping another surprise photo of Eli and laughing when it turns out she caught Eli during a mid realization of what Nozomi had intended to do.

“Non-tan!” Eli says with an embarrassed blush. “You shouldn't just keep on taking surprise photos like that!”

“Aww, why not Elichi~?” Nozomi asks, putting the camera down and grinning. “Some of the best photos are the ones that are taken when you least expect it.”

Eli can't really argue with that and she laughs a bit to herself, sitting down on Nico's bed and waiting for her to return. Nozomi takes a seat next to her, smiling a bit more and thinking about the types of dances they'll try to do. Eli fiddles a bit with her fingers before glancing to Nozomi and speaking quietly.

“Hey, I was going to ask you this on the way home but since Nico's not here now...” Eli pauses a bit, a small blush forming on her face. Nozomi turns her full attention to her, tilting her head curiously and waiting for Eli to continue.

“Next Saturday is a dance competition I've entered. The winner gets to be the star of a dance performance done between a couple other dance schools for the annual Christmas presentation.” Eli explains. “It doesn't happen until Christmas eve but the winner will need all the practice they can get to be the lead dancer.”

Nozomi is still listening to Eli intently and Eli brushes some of her hair behind her ear, giving Nozomi the most affectionate crooked smile the green eyed girl had ever seen.

“I was wondering if you wanted to come see me perform? Nico, my little sister and my grandma will all be going too and you don't have to come if you don't want too but I thought I might ask anyway because it can be a lot of fun seeing all the different dancers and we can have a sleepover afterwards and-”

“I'd love to!” Eli is cut off by Nozomi's excited voice and she blinks in surprise as Nozomi has leant closer to her, invading her personal space and peering up into her bright blue iris' with her own vivid green.

“R-really?!” Eli stutters out, gazing in surprise as Nozomi nods her head.

“Yeah! I would love to see Elichi dance!” She gives Eli a closed eye smile before leaning away and Eli can feel her face heating up just that little bit more as she smiles.

“O-okay! I'll bring you guys the tickets tomorrow at school then. I have to go to the dance studio early but I'm pretty sure Nico's dad will bring both of you to the theatre.” Eli plays with her fingers a bit more as she continues to smile. “Then we can all go to my house on the train together.”

“Did you finally invite Non-tan to your performance?” Nico asks as she enters the room, a large laptop in her small arms as she pushes the door open with her foot.

“She did!” Nozomi say with excitement as she walks over to Nico, helping her with the expensive computer as she closes her door properly. “Have you seen Elichi dance in a competition before Nicocchi? What's it like?”

Nozomi's curiosity knows no bounds as she stares at Nico expectantly.

“I haven't seen her in a competition, but I've seen her practice! She's the best dancer in the world and I can't wait to see her out dance all the other girls she faces.” Nico brags, embarrassing Eli completely.

“I-I'm not the absolute best out there.” She mumbles, smiling slightly from such a huge compliment.

“See now she's being modest.” Nico says to Nozomi. “She just doesn't like to brag too much unless it’s in front of me.”

Nozomi laughs and the two long haired girls look over to their flustered blonde friend.

“Okay Elichi, I'm relying on you to help me learn these idol dances then.” Nozomi declares. Nico nods in agreement.

“Geeze... you two are embarrassing.” Eli says as she stands, smiling brightly to them. “Okay then, Nico put on a video and let’s get to work!”

They spend their afternoon doing just that. Eli guiding Nozomi carefully through the steps she has difficulty with and Nico doing her best to practice them just as they were in the video. There were plenty of fumbles and moments where Nozomi and Nico would collide but all that could be heard from Nico's room was the happy laughs and encouraging words they gave to each other whenever they completed the dance semi successfully. The idea to record themselves had never hits either girl until halfway through one of their dances and soon the camera has six or seven videos of the three of them trying to do the same dance over and over,videos stopping when somebody bumped into each other, when someone had fallen or when one of them had forgotten to start dancing with the others (which ended up being Nozomi more often than not.)

They stop their idol practice to eat a quick dinner Nico's mom prepares for them, and afterwards the three girls spent the rest of their time watching a movie with Nico's mom and little sisters, enjoying the simple moment with content smiles and full bellies. Nozomi sits comfortably between the two other girls on the floor with Kokoro in Nico's lap as the four of them tune in to the children’s movie that plays on screen. The violet haired girl takes some time to embrace the moment, allowing herself to smile shyly as she snuggles into the two of them, closing her eyes and enjoying the moment for what it is: absolutely perfect. Eli doesn't stop the smile that forms on her lips and Nico lets her head fall on top of Nozomi's, Eli's soon following after and resting on the other side as the three of them sit contently amongst themselves with the movie as background noise.

When the time for Nozomi and Eli to head home comes, they thank Nico's mom and say good bye to Nico and her tiny siblings, promising to hang out again very soon and to see Nico at school the next day. Eli and Nozomi walk together in a comfortable silence, as they often do. Eli occasionally comments on something throughout the day and Nozomi’s always quick to respond, but when they fall silent again it isn't a problem between the two. Nozomi finds herself enjoying it more than she'd like to let on.

She soon waves good bye to Eli as she runs up the stairs, stepping excitedly towards where her apartment waits. Knowing her mother would be home she gives the door a small tug, surprised to find that it’s locked. She shrugs a bit to herself, guessing that her mother must be busy and forgot to unlock the door after coming home from shopping with her father. She steps over to the potted plant, lifting it up and grabbing the key. She quickly unlocks the door then places the key back in its hiding spot before excitedly opening the door and stepping inside.

“I'm home!” Nozomi calls out, smiling as she awaits the response from her mother.

When there isn't one, a quick worried frown forms on Nozomi's face and she hurriedly throws her shoes off, running towards the kitchen where the only source of light shines from. She frowns as she notices a wrapped up plate resting on the table and carefully steps over to it, realization dawning on her face as she notices a small note with her mother’s handwriting. She doesn't need to glance it over to know what it says and she looks at the wrapped up omelet rice on the table.

She sighs to herself, her happy mood instantly gone and she grabs the wrapped up meal and throws it into the fridge, grateful that she had eaten and Nico's and wasn't all that hungry now. She decides to head to the bath and prepare it for herself and her parents for when they return. Once she’d settled into the scalding yet soothing water, her hair loose from its braids, she allows herself to curl up into her knees and sob.

Even if she knew there was a chance her mother wouldn't be home when she returned from Nico's, the fact that she had said she would be made this moment sting all the more for her.

* * *

“Okay let’s review what you have.” Nozomi's father frets as she stands rather impatiently in the doorway with her backpack and sleepover supplies.

Nozomi never expected her parents to react the way they were about her first sleepover, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't amused by their behaviour. Her father dashes back and forth in the apartment, making sure Nozomi has absolutely everything she needs for the single night away from home while her mother prepares the camera for her, making sure it has a lot of photo space and batteries to last them the entire night.

“So you've got your pyjamas.” He begins. Nozomi nods.

“Check!”

“You're toothbrush? Toothpaste?”

“Check and check!”

“Your slippers? Do you have a change of clothes for tomorrow?!”

“I got all of those!”

“And your little tanuki in case you have trouble sleeping?”

Nozomi blushes in embarrassment and nods.

“Alright... okay. I think you're prepared.” He nods his head a bit and Nozomi's mom exits from the kitchen into the hallway, holding the camera travel bag that’s packed with the camera and all its supplies.

“The camera has brand new batteries and is ready for your first sleepover!” She announces excitedly. “Nozomi, you have everything you need right?”

Nozomi holds back a sigh as she nods.

“Yes Mom. Dad promised that we could stop by the store so I could pick up my part of our surprise for Elichi and we still have to do that.” She watches as her father suddenly remembers and grabs his jacket and work van keys.

“We gotta hurry!” He shouts as he throws on his shoes and dashes out the door.

Nozomi and her mother laugh a bit before her mother walks over to her, handing her the camera and smiling warmly.

“Have fun tonight.” She says. Nozomi returns the smile and nods, slipping the camera bag around her neck.

“I will!” She's about to head out the door before she pauses, looking back to her mom with an uneasy stare.

“Hey Mom..?” Her mother smiles and waits for her to continue. Nozomi takes in a small breath and turns away as she voices her question.

“Do you think maybe we could stay here? Maybe not forever but...” she pauses a bit before continuing. “I'd just like to spend a lot more time with Elichi and Nicocchi.”

Heartbreak flashes across her mother’s face as Nozomi puts her hand on the doorknob, silently waiting for an answer. After a few more seconds she shakes her head and turns around, giving the most convincing smile she can to the adult.

“Never mind Mom. I'll see you tomorrow!”

With that being said, Nozomi heads out the door with her full backpack and the camera bag around her neck. She waves goodbye to her mother and shuts the door behind her before dashing down to where her father waits in his van. Nozomi's mother waves idly as the door is shut and sighs to herself, looking worriedly down the hall as she thinks about Nozomi's request.

The trip to the store is quick and easy. Nozomi runs inside to pick out exactly what she needs and after returning to the van she carefully hides her surprise inside a second bag she brought, smiling excitedly to herself. Eli was going to be so surprised and Nozomi couldn't wait to see her face.

They arrive at Nico's with good time and Nozomi says goodbye to her dad before knocking on Nico's door. The black haired girl opens it excitedly, her hair done up into higher twin tails with bright red ribbons. She smiles widely and looks her over.

“You got the gift?” She asks with curiosity. Nozomi nods and holds the bag up.

“Right in here!”

Nico beams and lets Nozomi come inside.

“I'll take your bag. We can leave the sleepover stuff here and get it once Eli's competition is over. That way we don't have to bring it all to the theatre with us.”

Nozomi nods and lets Nico take the backpack from her shoulders. She watches her run down the hallway and before Nozomi even knows it, Nico’s back and slipping her own shoes.

“Papa! We're ready when you are!”

There's a soft chuckle from the other room and soon a man with short dark hair and dark magenta eyes comes into view. He offers Nozomi a small smile, which she returns with pleasure.

“Alright kids, let’s head out to Eli's dance competition.” He says with an excited grin. “It's up to you two to cheer her on and make sure that she knows she's supported, alright!?”

“Got it Papa!” Nico grins and Nozomi nods, taking in all the happy energy that comes off of the older man.

He shouts a quick goodbye to the rest of the family and together the three of them head down to his car, buckling themselves into their seats and excitedly looking to each other as the car pulls out of the parking lot and into the road.

The ride isn't very long at all and soon their at the large dance theatre, where many cars were parked and a sign advertising the dance competition sits outside the theatre entrance. Nozomi and Nico look at it with sparkles in their eyes while Nico's father chuckles, pulling into a parking space and turning around to them.

“Look kids, right over there.” He points towards where an older woman and a young girl stood, hand in hand and smiling over to the car. Nico grins in excitement and unbuckles herself from the seat.

“There's Eli's Grandma! Let's go Non-tan!”

The two of them hurry out of the car, Nico's father watching them carefully and laughing as Nico stumbles towards his rolled down window.

“Be safe and have fun.” He says with fondness. Nico and Nozomi nod.

“Thank you Yazawa-san.” Nozomi says and Nico grins.

“See you Papa! I'll tell you all about it later!”

They excitedly dash over to where Eli's grandmother and sister wait. Once they reach the two, Nico beams up at the older woman.

“Hello Grandma Ayase!” Nico greets, then turning to Alisa “Hey there Alisa-chan!”

Alisa smiles shyly and waves with her free hand while Eli's grandmother grins.

“Hello girls.” She greets. “Are you ready to see our cute little Elichika perform?”

Nozomi's eye widen at the nickname and she grins a bit.

“Yeah! Non-tan is especially excited, right Non-tan?” Nico nudges her in the side with her elbow and Nozomi laughs a bit, nodding in agreement.

“Very! I've never seen a dance performance live before.” the violet haired girl admits.

“I hope you enjoy it.” Eli's grandmother smiles. “You all have your tickets, right? Let’s head inside and get our seats. The competition will be starting in a half hour.”

Each of them pull out their tickets and hand them to the doorman, thanking him and stepping inside. The lobby’s decorated in extravagant reds and golds with a fancy glass chandelier that has tiny yellow lights hung as the centrepiece. Nozomi can't ever recall being in a fancier place and she looks around with wide eyes as she takes in the appearance of only the lobby.

“This looks incredible.” She comments out loud. “Are all dances in fancy places like this?”

“Actually, most are in much fancier venues.” Eli's grandma replies, enjoying the way the children's eyes light up.

“Will Sis get to dance in a fancier place than this Grandma?” Alisa asks, squeezing onto the older lady's hand.

“If she wins, she will be.” Comes the reply.

The four of them make their way to the entrance of the theatre. Nico and Nozomi follow closely to Eli's grandmother, taking seats next to each other. Nozomi sits between Nico and Alisa while Eli's grandmother takes the aisle seat. Now it’s only a matter of time until the seats fill up and the performance begins.

While they wait, Nozomi pulls out the camera and begins taking pre show photos with Nico and Alisa. Many of them turn out silly and bad quality but Nozomi's laughing in almost all of them and so she decides to keep them, knowing it will make her smile on a later day. When the lights begin to dim she lowers her camera, quickly turning the flash off so she wouldn't disturb the audience or dancers while she takes secret photos. She looks with excitement to the stage with Nico and Alisa, ecstatic to see the show is finally about to begin.

One by one the ballerinas emerge from offstage, dressed in similar tutus and with their hair tied in tight buns atop their heads. Nico and Nozomi's eyes light up as they immediately recognize Eli, since she's the only blonde haired blue eyed girl up on the stage. She wears an excited yet nervous smile as she faces the crowd in a line with her dance peers. Nozomi and Nico share an eager grin as they turn back to the stage. Nozomi lifts her camera and takes a quick snapshot of Eli as the host begins to speak to the crowd, welcoming them to the event and explaining the smaller details.

Nozomi's unable to pay close attention to everything the host says as she continues to stare at Eli. She stands only a smidgen taller than the rest of the girls, but the drive in her eyes shines the brightest. Nozomi can tell just by looking over all the other girls that nobody is nearly as passionate about getting this spot as Eli is. Just that alone fills Nozomi with a lot of hope as she watches the dancers begin to make their way off the stage one by one, with one girl remaining.

The dances each last around three minutes long, each ballerina doing the exact same dance that would be part of the performance if they got the part. Nozomi’s entranced by the pirouettes and leaps each girl accomplishes. Just trying to dance along to a video was tough for her, and yet here all these different young girls were, dancing in time with the music and pulling off different steps and entrancing moves Nozomi had never imagined before.

When Eli steps out onto the stage, Nozomi's eyes lock on her and her smile widens. Unlike the many contestants before her, Eli stands with a much more serious gaze and aura about her. The music begins and so does Eli's dance, and Nozomi can't look away for a single moment. She watches with wide eyed awe as the blonde spins perfectly, never stumbling once and keeping her steps in tune with the classical song that plays. A smile slowly grows on the green eyed girl's face and for a brief moment all she can feel is just her and Nico, sitting excitedly as Eli dances for them. Nobody else is around, it’s just the three of them and Eli, performing with that tiny smile just for them. Nozomi takes the opportunity to try and get a snapshot, hopping that she’s able to capture that very small smile that Eli wears. She places the camera down on top of her bag deciding she would take a look at it later on.

Before she knows it Eli's turn is over and she takes her bow. When the applause begins Nozomi and Nico don't even hesitate as they stand up, applauding loudly and proudly. Alisa quickly joins the two of them, smiling widely and supporting her sister as happily as the other two were. When the blonde lifts her head she glances their way for a quick moment and Nozomi wishes she had her camera on her in that moment, for the angelic smile that Eli flashes them was one of the most precious things she may have ever seen.

The other dancers finish their turns quickly and the judges take a five minute intermission, going over their results to see who would take the winning prize and who would be the runner up. Nozomi and Nico sit rather impatiently, Nico tapping her foot on the ground while Nozomi fiddles with the zipper of the camera bag. They can only imagine how nervous Eli is feeling as she waits offstage for them all to be called out once the results were in.

As the thought runs through Nozomi's head, one of the judges waves towards the host and giving the signal to let the dancers back on stage. She watches eagerly as each ballerina steps back onto the large stage, a nervous aura settling around them. She glances over to Nico and sees her staring rather seriously towards the judges table. She turns her attention back to the ballerinas and her eyes land on Eli, who nervously stands as the third girl from the end of the line.

Nozomi can feel butterflies swarm as the host walks over to the judges table, grabbing the envelope that will announce the winner. She starts off with congratulating each ballerina, talking about how beautiful all of them performed and that they were all a marvelous sight to see. She then cuts to the chase, holding up the envelope and announcing that she would be declaring the winner.

It's over before Nozomi can even register it, and two girls on the opposite end of the line begin to celebrate as the winner and runner up. Nozomi doesn't dare let her eyes stray from Eli as the blonde begins clapping lightly, congratulating the winning girls before they are all dismissed to get changed. Nozomi looks over to Nico, a sinking feeling in her gut. Their sleepover was meant to be like a post competition party and Nozomi isn't sure if Eli would still be up for it after losing in the competition she worked so hard for.

Nico looks at her, determination still in her eyes as she stands up.

“Eli did her best, right Nozomi?” She asks, catching the attention of Eli's grandmother and Alisa.

Nozomi thinks about it for a moment and all the sad thoughts that linger are foggy as she recalls the exact dance Eli performed. Maybe it was because Eli was one of her best friends and that might add to her bias, but Nozomi could freely admit that she had never seen anything so captivating in her entire life. Watching Eli dance was like watching the full moon rise while the stars begin to shine on a clear summer night: a breathtaking performance that Nozomi hoped she would get the chance to see again some day.

“Absolutely.” She says with a soft smile. “Elichi looked really beautiful up there. I wonder if she knows that too?”

Nozomi laughs a bit when Nico and Alisa grin. Grandma Ayase smiles to herself, happy to see that Eli's friends were nothing but the best.

“Come along girls.” Eli's grandmother says, pushing herself out of her chair. “Let's go greet Elichika out in the lobby, okay?”

The three of them follow her once again and make their way out to the lobby. Many families are already meeting up with their daughters, congratulating them on a job well done or consoling them over the loss. With only a quick observation, it was obvious to Nozomi that not many of the girls who lost were taking it as badly as they could be. Nozomi knows that isn't be the case for Eli, but she plans to tell her just how much she loved the performance.

To Nozomi and Nico, it doesn't matter if Eli won or lost. Eli did her best, and the two of them were there to witness it first hand. Even if she didn't get the prize; they would make sure she knew how fantastic she did and how fantastic she still is.

“Hey Alisa-chan, do you remember the plan I talked about with you yesterday?” Nico asks the smaller girl.

Alisa thinks for only a moment before nodding excitedly. Nico beams a bit.

“Perfect! You gotta clap a ton for Nozomi too. She's got full hands so she won't be able to.” Nico gives Nozomi a small wink and the violet haired girl quickly remembers the gift she picked up on the way to Nico's.  

She drapes her camera bag over her neck and opens up the second one she brought, carefully pulling out a delicate bouquet of multicoloured lilies. Nico eyes the bouquet with a bright smile and Nozomi grins towards her black haired friend.

“Elichi once said she really liked the way lilies looked. My mom mentioned that some lilies can be a sign for friendship and devotion. It's sort of fitting, don't you think?” She carefully holds the bouquet in her arms while Nico nods in agreement.

“Definitely.”

“Look! The rest of the girls are coming!” Alisa shouts excitedly. Nozomi quickly does her best to hide the bouquet behind her, smiling rather excitedly as they all began to watch for Eli.

The blonde was the last to walk out, her duffel bag over her shoulder and her hair tied into its signature ponytail. The three of them can't stop their grins and Nico and Alisa were the first to erupt into as loud of an applause as two children could make. Eli's grandmother laughs quietly to herself as the two girls attract the attention of practically everybody in the lobby, including Eli.

“There she is!” Nico shouts excitedly, clapping louder. “There's our Eli!”

Nozomi grins wider as an embarrassed blush grows on Eli's face and she hastily makes her way over to them, wanting the eyes to be off of her as soon as possible. As Eli gets closer, Nozomi notices the uneasy smile on her face and the hurt that she was trying to hide in her eyes. Losing the competition really must have stung Eli more than any of the other competitors.

“Nico, you don't need to be so loud.” Eli mumbles as she reaches them. Alisa is the first to move, hugging Eli tightly around the waist and smiling widely.

“You did great Eli!” She says. “It was your best performance yet!”

“Ah, thank you Alisa.” Eli smiles lightly at her little sister and pats her on the head as the smaller girl pulls away. It hurts Nozomi to see her so sad.

“It really was!” Nico adds, digging into her bag and pulling out a box of Eli's favourite chocolates. “It was so great, you deserve nothing but the best chocolates my allowance could buy, which just so happen to be your favourite!”

Eli laughs lightly and smiles a bit more, taking the chocolates from Nico and reading the label. There was still pain in her eyes, but there was a tiny bit of happiness in the smile she now wore.

“Thank you Nico.” She says sincerely, slipping the box into her duffel bag. This was Nozomi's cue to give her the final gift.

Without saying anything, Nozomi slowly and nervously brings the bouquet out from behind her back, holding it as carefully as she did before in both of her arms. Eli looks up again and is surprised to see the sudden appearance of the large arrangement of flowers in Nozomi's arms. Her eyes linger on it before her blue eyes creep up to Nozomi's face, her mouth slightly agape as Nozomi smiles warmly at her.

“Your dance was amazing, Elichi.” She says, stepping a bit closer to Eli and holding out the bouquet. “It was the prettiest thing I've ever seen in my entire life and I'll never forget how beautiful you looked.”

Eli is speechless and the tears that were threatening to fall finally do as she accepts the bouquet with a wet laugh, using one of her hands to wipe at her eyes.

“Y-you brought me flowers?! Even though I didn't win?” She musters through her tears, unable to take her gaze away from the beautiful lilies.

“Of course!” Nozomi replies immediately, smiling in relief as she can tell that Eli's tears are from happiness and not sadness. “You worked really, really hard for this. You deserve them more than anyone.”

Eli's eyes well up with tears again and she slowly places her duffel bag down and rests the bouquet of flowers gently on top of it. Without even hesitating she throws herself at Nico and Nozomi, pulling the both of them into a very tight hug as she continues to cry.

“You two are the best friends I'll ever have.” She sobs as she clings to them. Nozomi smiles as she wraps her arms around Eli while Nico laughs and does the same.

“You bet we are~! There's nobody in the world better suited to be your friends than us.”

Alisa and Grandma Ayase smile at the heartwarming scene. The older woman pulls out some kleenex and when Eli pulls away from her friends, she takes a quick moment to wipe the tears from her face and congratulate her herself, reminding her of how proud she is that she did her best. Eli thanks her and soon the small group is off towards the train station with Nozomi and Nico talking about all their favourite things about Eli's dance and asking her questions about the various different dance moves she did.

Eli answers all the questions with a bright smile, eager to explain what she can and holding on to her bouquet the whole duration back to her house. Nozomi's unable to keep her smile contained, seeing Eli so happy because of the surprise her and Nico pulled off made her realize just how much of an impact they have on her. Even if she was only with them for a few weeks, it’s hard to for her to comprehend how important they were to Eli. How important they were to her.

This was something Nozomi wanted her entire life. All the books she read with friends having fun moments, all the shows and movies that showed groups of girls taking on the world or friends hanging out and having a good time. It was something Nozomi truly wanted for the longest time and now that she finally had it -now that she was finally experiencing all the things she wanted to- she doesn't dare linger on the negative thoughts that creep up. They were another problem for another day, and she would make sure to spend all the moments she got with Eli and Nico to the fullest.

* * *

The evening is an eventful one at Eli's house. The three of them eat a quick dinner before commencing their nightly plans. Nozomi teaches the other two how to make paper fortune tellers, Nico brings out a few of her idol magazines to show Eli and Nozomi how official idol photos might look (according to Nico their snapshots were just like those but Nozomi could point out many differences aside from the people posing in the photos) and Eli pulls out her accessories kit, showing Nico and Nozomi the little things she's made in her spare time. The other two attempt to make fancy little chain pendants to try and match one that Eli made, but Nozomi found more glue on her fingers than on her finished product.

“Hey hey, I got an idea.” Nico says as they look over their tiny pendants. “Why don't we swap them? Eli, you give yours to Non-tan, Non-tan will give hers to me and I'll give mine to Eli!”

“Eh?! But mine looks so bad!” Nozomi objects, comparing it to Nico's and Eli's.

“I think it looks really cute. The effort you put into it shows.” Eli compliments it, pointing out to little various details. “See, you can see when you took off the little purple gem to try and center it properly and it shows that you put a lot of effort into it”

“Right? It's adorable like me!” the black haired girl takes the small pendant and then hands hers to Eli, grinning a bit. “Pink isn't really your colour, but you better wear this all the time Eli!”

Eli laughs lightly and takes it from Nico, thanking her and promising that she will as she places it down in front of her. She then holds out the one she made to Nozomi, watching as the violet haired girl takes it from her shyly.

“That makes my blue one all yours Non-tan.” She beams.

Nozomi stares down at the perfectly crafted pendant with the light blue plastic gems decorating it, her smile widening. She nods a bit and looks to Eli with a bright smile.

“I'll take good care of it Elichi.” the violet haired girl promises.

“You better!” Eli replies, taking the pendant Nico made her and placing it on her dresser.

Eli's grandmother soon comes to the door, telling the girls that it's almost bed time and to get their pyjamas on and their teeth brushed. The girls don't hesitate to begin tidying up the small mess they made so that the room was tidy in the morning.

“I call the futon!” Nico declares the moment Eli's grandmother leaves. “Non-tan, you get to share Eli's bed with her.”

“Eh? Nicocchi doesn't want to share her futon with me?” Nozomi puts a fake pout on her face and the black haired girl rolls her eyes.

“Trust me, you'd rather share the bed with Eli.”

Nozomi glances over to Eli who smiles a bit.

“It' a big bed. Plus, Nico kicks in her sleep.”

“Hey! At least I don't get clingy!”

Nozomi laughs as she makes the connection and walks over to her bag, opening it up and grabbing her night time supplies.

“Non-tan, you can change in the bathroom if you want. I'm going to go use my parents room and Nico can use my room. When you're done just open the door and then Nico and I can come brush our teeth with you when you're done.”

“Okay Elichi~”

The three of them disperse with their pyjamas and Nozomi enters the bathroom, quickly changing out of her day clothes and into her comfy night ones. Once she’s finished she folds up her other clothes and opens the door, that way Nico and Eli can come right in the moment they were finished too. She takes the time to undo her braids as she stands in the bathroom, ruffling the wavy tresses and slipping her hair elastics onto her wrist as her hair falls gently around her face and back.  

“Eli, what are you standing there fo- oh!” Nozomi's attention is brought from the bathroom mirror to her friends. Eli stands only a couple feet away with the wide eyed stare Nozomi was beginning to grow used to while Nico stands next to her, her hair let down and a small smirk on her face.

“Did you just stand here and watch Non-tan undo her braids? Eli that's creepy.” Eli blushes heavily and turns to Nico with a fierce gaze.

“I didn't! I was walking down the hallway and Non-tan didn't notice and then I just got caught up in how pretty her hair looks. I wasn't being creepy.” Eli sticks her tongue out, satisfied with her justification of why she was standing there.

“Alright then Eli, if you say so~” Nico laughs as she steps over to the bathroom, her toothbrush and toothpaste in hand.

“I didn't know Elichi liked my hair that much.” Nozomi teases with a small grin as Eli steps into the bathroom too, the three girls crowding the sink. “I still have to brush it though, otherwise it'll be tangled like crazy in the morning.”

“Ah, me too.” Nico adds with a frown. “I'll do that in Eli's room.”

Nico wets her tooth brush a tiny bit before piling a glob of toothpaste on it as she begins to scrub her teeth clean. Nozomi and Eli follow suit, each of them brushing their teeth and staring ahead at the mirror in front of them. Nozomi takes interest in how attentive Nico is with herself while many times her and Eli keep making eye contact through the reflective surface.

An idea hits her and Nozomi slowly lifts her free hand, flashing a peace sign that hovers just above Nico's head. Just like she expects, Nico doesn't notice it at all. When Eli makes eye contact with Nozomi again, Nozomi tilts her head towards Nico, hoping Eli catches sight of it. It takes her a moment but the blondes eyes light up and she quickly bows her head into the sink, spitting out her toothpaste and stiffing her giggles as best as possible. This causes a chain reaction and Nozomi's body shakes as she tries to contain her giggles as well, waiting for Eli to rinse her mouth and move so she could do the same.

Nico glances towards the two of them with a quirked eyebrow, not questioning anything until she see's Nozomi's hand in the mirror and her eyebrows narrow.

“Hey!” She almost shouts, being careful to cover her mouth so toothpaste doesn't fly onto her clothes. Eli moves quickly and Nozomi's the next to take over the sink, cleaning her mouth out from toothpaste and allowing herself to laugh loudly since she had been caught.

“Hmm~?” She hums with a coy grin, brushing her hair from her face and watching Nico rinse her own mouth. Once she finishes she shoots them a red eyed glare.

“I saw that! Thinking I didn't notice the bunny ears.” She grumbles a bit afterwards and both Eli and Nozomi giggle a bit.

“Sorry Nicocchi, I couldn't resist~” the violet haired girl apologizes and the three make their way back to Eli's room.

Once there Nozomi grabs her hair brush, glancing over curiously to Eli and Nico. Nico pulls her own hair brush out, beginning to brush her long hair and humming a tune as she does. Eli distracts herself with her flowers, not needing to brush her own hair since she had done so before. Nozomi slowly starts to brush her own hair, listening to Nico hum as she brushes her own hair. A glance from Eli doesn't go unnoticed and she smiles a bit, pausing her brushing and tilting her head at her as an idea pops into her head.

“Does Elichi wanna brush my hair?” She asks with a hint of playfulness, watching Eli stiffen at the request.

“Is that okay?” Eli asks after a moment of hesitation. Nozomi laughs and nods.

“Sure. I get too lazy to sometimes so I never really brush it fully. You can do it if you want.” She holds her own brush out to Eli and the blue eyed girl smiles as she steps over, taking the brush from her and standing behind her.

“Let me know if I tug to hard or anything.” Eli says as a small warning before she touches the brush to Nozomi's scalp and begins to comb through her thick wavy hair.

Nozomi isn't surprised by how gentle Eli is and she closes her eyes, a satisfied smile on her face as the blonde works the brush through her hair. She forgot how soothing it was having someone else brush your hair for you and Nozomi wouldn't really mind if Eli had offered to brush her hair every evening. The blonde works carefully and diligently and before Nozomi knows it, all the tangles are gone and the brush glides easily through her violet locks.

“You have really healthy hair Non-tan.” Eli comments as she finishes, handing the brush to Nozomi. “It's hard not to like it.”

“Thanks Elichi~” Nozomi says with a small grin. “Maybe next time I'll brush your hair and return the favour.”

They look over to see Nico finishing up with her hair and Nozomi puts her hair brush away. The three of them make their way over to where the futon rested as the sound of footsteps approaching reaches the door. Eli's grandma peeks in with a smile and watches as the three of them lay out the futon together.

“Is everyone ready for bed?” She asks.

“Almost!” Eli says.

She climbs onto her bed excitedly and she invites Nozomi in afterwards. Nozomi slides under the covers easily as Nico slips under her futon blanket. The three of them settle carefully into bed and Eli turns her arm over, clicking her bedside lamp on while Eli's grandmother turns off the main light.

“Only keep the lamp on for a half hour, alright Elichika?” Her grandmother says. Eli nods.

“Okay Grandma.”

The old woman smiles and shuts the door after wishing the three of them good night. Nico yawns loudly, turning onto her side and glancing up to the bed.

“I'm not that tired yet. Are you guys?” She asks, despite the fact her eyes were drooping ever so slightly.

“Hardly.” Nozomi whispers. “I've had so much fun, I don't want the night to end.” She lets her voice trail off a bit.

The quiet atmosphere of Eli's room and the soft breathing of both Nico and Eli was soothing to Nozomi. In this moment she felt like she could say anything and everything to them and have nothing to fear. Confess all the things she has never spoken out loud to anyone.

“Me either.” Eli replies after a moment. “It was a lot of fun and I really felt a lot better spending the night with you two.”

Nozomi and Nico keep quiet as Eli resists the urge to cry, recalling her earlier loss at the competition.

“I guess I'm still a bit frustrated I lost.” She admits. “It makes me doubt myself. It makes me want to quit dancing. I'll never be as great as my Grandmother or Mom, so why continue trying?”

Learning the source of Eli's drive to win the competition causes Nozomi's heart to ache. She knows just how it felt to want to make your family proud and show them your talents, but Eli's giving herself too little credit. She a fantastic dancer as she is, she doesn't have to live up to what her Mother and Grandmother were.

“You do it because you want to Elichi.” Nozomi murmurs, deciding to voice her opinion. “When you were on stage, I could see how much fun you were having. So could Nicocchi and Alisa-chan too. You shouldn't dance just because your mom and grandma did and were good at it, you should dance because you want to dance and because you're good at it too.”

Eli turns her head towards Nozomi, unable to look away as her eyes reflect the happiness she begins to feel from the comment.

“Non-tan's right, Eli.” Nico remarks. “You'll never be exactly like your mom and grandma, just like Alisa will never be exactly like you. You're all different people with different skills and your family supports you with all they can.”

Eli can feel her face heat up from the words of her friends and she smiles a bit as she mumbles a quiet thank you, conveying all the feelings she can through those two words.

“I hope one day my little sisters are that supportive of me when they get older.” Nico says quietly. “Someday, when I'm a huge pop star, I want them to be able to proudly say that they're related to me.”

Nozomi isn't quite sure what Nico means but the black haired girl continues to speak and enlightens her a bit more on what she's getting to.

“I mean you two are the only ones who put up with me. Nobody likes being around me because I get really boastful and can be pretty full of myself. But you two don't seem to mind at all and it's just nice to know that there are people who genuinely do like me.”

Nozomi has to hold back from sitting up and glaring at Nico for saying such things. She grips her hands onto the comforter she rests under and both her and Eli turn their faces towards the ground where Nico's futon rests not so far from Eli's bed.

“Nicocchi, did you think there was something wrong with you because people didn't like you?” Nozomi asks quietly. When Nico says nothing she frowns a bit and speaks up a bit more.

“I like those things about you Nicocchi. You're brave in a way where you're not afraid to say how you feel. You stay true to yourself and who you are. A lot of people can't do anything that brave.”

Nozomi's surprises herself by the wisdom she shares and she stays quiet before Nico laughs lightly, an embarrassed tone to the airy sound.

“Geeze Non-tan, you're embarrassing me.” Nico laughs a bit more and her eyes meet both Eli's and Nozomi's as a smile creeps onto her face.

“It's true though.” Nozomi replies. “If I was as brave as you, maybe I'd be able to...”

She cuts herself off, closing her mouth and frowning. She knows both Eli and Nico are waiting for her to continue but she isn't quite sure if she can say it. She fiddles a bit with the comforter before Eli nudges her, catching her attention.

“You don't have to say it if you don't want to.” the blonde mumbles. “But we'll listen.You know we will.”

“I-it isn't that.” Nozomi replies, shaking her head. “It's just... I've never said it out loud before. I'm kinda nervous.”

The other two don't pry, waiting for Nozomi to compose herself. She takes in a small breath and speaks in a quieter voice, only loud enough for Eli and Nico to just barely hear her.

“Maybe I'd be able to tell my parents I don't want to move anymore.”

Eli and Nico stay silent while Nozomi pulls the covers over her mouth and she talks more, letting the words flow and confessing everything to the two of them.

“I'm really happy they like their jobs and I like how excited they are about all their new opportunities. Seeing them happy makes me feel happy too, but every time a new job comes up we have to leave. From what I can remember, I've lived in fourteen different houses so far in my life and that doesn't count Mom and Dad's field work trips out of the country. It's so tiring. Every time I get used to a new school, Mom or Dad applies for some other job between tv studios and the next thing I know we're packing everything up again and heading to another place.”

She stays quiet for a moment, looking up to the ceiling and sighing.

“It wouldn't even be so bad if they were home more often but I barely see them at all during the week. They're always at work or out doing something for work. I always come home and my mom will always have the same sort of note, sometimes with money left for me to go pick up something from the store and sometimes with a meal already made and wrapped up. It can just get really... really hard sometimes.”

The air is tense as Nozomi concludes her confession, feeling relief after getting all the smaller details about her home life and her feelings out of her system for the very first time. Eli and Nico give it a moment before Eli speaks first, asking Nozomi a question quietly.

“Is that why you've never had friends before?”

Nozomi nods.

“More or less I guess. I'm also sort of shy and uncomfortable in new places at first so that just sort of drives the other kids away from me too.”

The three of them are quiet again for a moment and Nico speaks in a sleepy voice.

“You don't have to worry about that anymore Non-tan.” She lifts her hand up, patting whatever part of Nozomi she was able to touch, which turns out to be her arm. “Eli and I will always be your friends. Even if you have to move away again.”

“Mhmm.” Eli agrees. “We'll all be friends forever, nothing can change that. Not distance, time, anything like that.”

“Really?” Nozomi asks, feeling rather vulnerable.

“Really really!” Nico says with a tiny laugh.

“For forever?” Nozomi repeats Eli's words and looks to her with a nervous gaze. This time it’s the blonde who laughs.

“For forever and ever.”

It's the most comforting thing Nozomi hears in quite a long time and she grins a bit, placing her hand on top of Nico's and using her other one to find Eli.

“You'll always be my best friends too. I'll never ever forget you, no matter where I go.”

The three of them laugh again and eventually sleep begins to greet them one by one, Nico being the first to go out cold. Nozomi carefully places her hand back to the floor and smiles a bit as Eli's eyes droop slowly, almost completely shut. Remembering the words of Eli's Grandma, Nozomi carefully moves to the lamp, twisting the knob until it clicks and the light turns off.

Before Nozomi can lie back down, Eli's eyes shoot open and she inhales sharply, the comforting glow of her night light nowhere to be seen as the room envelops into almost complete darkness. She doesn't hesitate to hug the closest thing to her, which turns out to be Nozomi. Nozomi freezes and looks to Eli in surprise, feeling the small shakes that came from the blonde as she buries her face into Nozomi.

“E-Elichi?!” Nozomi stutters worriedly, feeling Eli's arms tighten around her.

“I-I completely forgot to p-plug my light in.” Eli whispers.

“You light?” Nozomi asks, looking at the lamp.

“M-my night light.” She whispers, clinging tighter to Nozomi. “I-I really don't like the dark and we had to replace the bulb in my little light b-but I left it on top of my dresser and forgot to plug it in a-again.”

Nozomi glances all the way over to where the dresser is, squinting her eyes. She locates the small little plug in light, shaped like a small rectangle and resting right on top next to Eli's jewelry box.

“Did you want me to go plug it in for you Elichi?” Nozomi whispers quietly. Eli shakes her head furiously.

“P-please don't move. I can't be alone in the dark, I-I just can't!” The plea in Eli's voice causes Nozomi's gaze to soften and she shifts closer to the center of the bed so the two of them won't fall off, nudging Eli over ever so slightly.

“Okay Elichi.” She says softly. “It's okay. I'm right here.”

The violet haired girl wraps her arms carefully around Eli to hold her in a comforting embrace. Eli's body is still very tense but she can feel the shakes begin to lessen.

“I-I'm really sorry. I know it's really silly being scared of the dark b-but it's just.. it's just-”

“It isn't silly at all Elichi.” Nozomi cuts Eli off before she can finish her sentence. “It's okay.”

Eli sniffles a bit as she focuses on the warmth that radiates from Nozomi and the way she soothingly combs her hand through her hair. She closes her eyes and murmurs a bit.

“I just get so uneasy in the dark. I don't know why but if there isn't any source of light I just begin to panic and get scared.”

“I understand.” the violet haired girl whispers. “But you aren't alone. I'm gunna stay awake right until you fall asleep, that way I can keep you safe from the dark.”

Despite the sinking feeling in her gut, Eli giggles. Nozomi smiles at the sound and closes her eyes, keeping Eli close.

“Do you want to know what I'm afraid of Elichi?” Nozomi asks her. The blonde tilts her head up, looking curiously at Nozomi's face.

“What?” She asks in a tiny whisper. Nozomi opens her eyes and gives Eli a tiny dimpled smile.

“I'm afraid of eating chocolates with caramel in them.” She sticks her tongue out and makes a face of disguste and Eli giggles again, her body finally relaxing completely.

“Non-tan...” Eli nudges her with her head just a tiny bit, but the smile is clearly in her voice.

“Well, maybe that's more of a concern than a fear?” Nozomi laughs. “But really.. I guess it isn't much of a fear as a worry but, sometimes I feel like I'll be forgotten.”

Eli doesn't say anything as she hugs herself closer to Nozomi. Nozomi smiles a bit.

“It's okay though. I don't need to worry about that anymore with you and Nicocchi here. You'll never forget me, will you?”

And as sleep begins to creep up on the two of them, Nozomi can feel Eli's lips tug into a small smile and the whisper of a promise that comes from Eli.

“Never ever, Non-tan.”

* * *

The months go by and the three school girls have an eventful winter together. While Christmas was spent with their families, the three made sure to meet up at their usual spot in the park to exchange their own gifts with each other at some point that day. After that the three of them visited the shrine together during new years and both Eli and Nico quickly learnt about the growing interest Nozomi has with the shrines and their maidens. When the snowy weather came, Nozomi showed Eli and Nico how to make her favourite little snow bunnies and taught them the pairs rule (“Always make the bunnies in pairs! This way they're never alone!” she had said to the two of them, but together they decided that three seemed like a better number for the bunnies.)

March is coming up fast and Nozomi's happier than ever. The bond she's formed with the blonde and black haired girls is irreplaceable and every moment spent with them is a precious gift. The green eyed girl waves good bye to Eli, walking up the steps to the apartment and picking up the key from its hiding spot. She hums a small tune as she slips the key in the lock, only to learn that the door is unlocked. She quirks an eyebrow before placing the key back down and opening up the door.

“But what about Nozomi?” Nozomi freezes in the doorway at the sound, glad that their front door is either very quiet today or her parents were oblivious to the sound of it opening.

“She'll be fine!” Her father says, excitement clearly in his voice. “She always is, and an opportunity like this in Osaka is so rare! The fact that they asked for both you and I by name just shows how interested they are in us! It could be an even bigger adventure!”

Nozomi quietly shuts the door, slipping her shoes off and tiptoeing towards the kitchen, where her parents voices were coming from. She presses her back flat against the wall and continues to listen, having a slight idea of where this conversation might be heading.

“Dear, that was before she had her friends. She's so happy here, I really think you should have thought this through before agreeing to it...” Her mother's voice trails off and her father sighs.

“You're telling me you wanted me to ask the director AND producer to give me a chance to discuss this rare opportunity that requested us by name so that we could talk about it together? I thought you would be all for this. You grew up in Osaka after all.” Nozomi guesses there's a frown on her father's face as he says this.

“Yes, I got to spend most of my life growing up in one place. A luxury that Nozomi hasn't gotten!”

There's a pregnant pause as her mother sighs and her father stays quiet. Nozomi's heart is in her throat as she anxiously waits for her parents to continue. There's so much that she's being left in the dark on and the fact her mother’s angry with her father means it must be something huge. Her mother and father were very rarely angry with each other.

“I can't say no now. It's too late, we've made all the arrangements and I've signed the contract to be on for at least one tv season.”  Her father's voice is filled with regret as he speaks.

“I know.” Her mother says quietly. “Going back on the contract now would be the end of our work with that studio.”

Nozomi doesn't need to hear another word before she understands exactly what’s going on. She steps out of her hiding place and into the kitchen, surprising both her parents.

“Nozomi!” Her father exclaims. “Did you just get home?!”

He puts on a convincing smile and Nozomi stares at him before nodding.

“Well, how was school? Was it good?”

Nozomi nods again, not trusting herself to talk. It isn't hard to tell she overheard the conversation and her father looks away, pursing his lips and thinking about the best way to break the news to their daughter. Her mother stands up, walking over to her and kneeling down to her level.

“Nozomi, your father and I have some news.”

Unlike all the previous times Nozomi's mother has said this, her voice reflects the guilt and sadness she felt having to tell her daughter they would be moving again. Nozomi steels herself up, preparing herself as she takes a seat at the table and her father explains the finer details of their next move. The difference between this one and the others was that the three of them would be gone by Friday. Nozomi's eyes waver and she glances at the calendar.

Today was Tuesday and next week her, Nico and Eli were supposed to start their first day in grade five together. They were all in the same class again, it was supposed to be the start of another exciting school year with her friends. Just like in the story books. But she should have known it would be too good to be true. She should have remembered the convenient times her parents decided to move were at the end of her school terms.

“The studio is willing to pay movers to come pack our things for us, but if there are things you want to pack yourself we'll tell the movers what to avoid.” Her mother says softly. Nozomi only nods.

“I can do it. I don't have much to pack anyway.” Nozomi's voice is glum and she looks to the floor. “May I be excused?”

Her mother and father share a look and the older woman nods. She pushes her chair out and stands up, heading to the exit of the kitchen. They watch her with worried gazes and her father gets an idea, hoping to attract her attention.

“Would you like to go out and have Yakiniku later?” Her father asks with a bit of hope. Nozomi doesn't even stop as she says her answer in a monotone voice.

“No thank you. I'm not hungry.”

She walks into her room and shuts the door behind her She stands still and allows her mask to break, letting out a small sob and dropping her backpack on the floor before she runs to her futon, falling onto the folded up sheets and sobbing directly into them. She doesn't know how she’ll tell Eli and Nico and she doesn't look forward to breaking the news to them

* * *

Nozomi blinks and the days pass. She trails behind Nico and Eli as the three of them walk home on the warmer Thursday afternoon. She tunes herself out from the conversation, distracting herself with her thoughts. She hadn't been able to tell them the day before and all day she was fretting about what to say. How to say it. It wasn't an easy topic and it was hard to keep her smile on when the two of them talked with her idly throughout school.

Today's Nozomi's last day with them and she's internally panicking. It's such short notice, there's no way they'd be able to forgive her for leaving them so suddenly. They were so important to each other and this wasn't fair and if Nozomi could change anything it would be just to have more time. More time with her only friends that she adores more than the world itself.

“NON-TAN!” Nozomi jumps at the sudden shout and she looks to Nico and Eli with a surprised expression.

“S-Sorry! I spaced out! What's up?!” She tries to give a convincing smile and the two girls in front of her quirk their eyebrows.

“We're at the intersection where we part now.” Eli says with a small smile. Nozomi's eyes widen and she looks at Nico.

“See you tomorrow, Non-tan.” She lifts a hand to wave and grins a bit. “Don't space out too much or Eli will have to stop you from walking into the street.”

She and Eli laugh a bit and Nozomi smiles a bit sadly. This would be the last time she saw Nico and she's glad it was with a happy smiling face and hearing her laugh.

“Yeah...” She keeps the smile on her face and gives Nico a small smile of her own. “Goodbye Nicocchi. See you later.”

Nozomi has to resist the urge to give Nico one last hug and makes her way down the street, not saying anything else and putting a bit of distance between herself and the other two. Eli and Nico share another look and quickly say goodbye before Eli rushes to catch up with Nozomi.

“Are you feeling okay Non-tan? You haven't really looked good these past couple days.” Eli points out. Nozomi gives her a small smile and nods.

“Y-Yeah. I'm okay.” She lies, but Eli doesn't question it.

They walk in silence and for the first time since they began to walk home together, it feels awkward. Eli can tell Nozomi isn't saying something and Nozomi knows it's obvious. She also knows Eli won't ask unless Nozomi says something. She has to fight back the prickling in her eyes as the apartment comes into view and the two girls stop in front of it.

“I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Non-tan?” Eli asks, offering her a small smile.

Nozomi stares at Eli for a moment and gives her a small, genuine smile.

“Mhmm.” She says. Eli's eyes are clouded with worry and Nozomi lifts her hand and waves.

“Bye bye Elichi.”

She turns and runs to the building as Eli reaches a hand out, wanting to call out her name and call her back but retracting it and watching as Nozomi ran out of view. With reluctance Eli heads home, trying her best not to linger on the awful sinking feeling that grew in her chest. Her mind races with different reasons why Nozomi might be in low spirits, but she comes up with nothing the whole evening.

It isn't until she was walking to school the next day when she learnt the reason why. Right out front of Nozomi's apartment building, a moving van was pulling out of the driveway. Not far behind it was a cab driver, and inside sitting in the passenger seat was Nozomi's father. They waited for a couple cars to go by before pulling out of the lot.

Eli's stomach sinks as she sees Nozomi in the back next to her mother, staring out the window with puffy eyes. The moment feels as if it is in slow motion and both she and Eli made eye contact as the cab passes by her. She watches as Nozomi sits up more alert and the heartbroken expression that grows on her face as she presses her hand against the window, fresh tears spilling from her eyes. Eli stands there in absolute shock as she mouths “I'm sorry” and the cab continues down the road, where it stops at the sign and soon turns onto the other street and drives out of view.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have no idea how dance competitions go, I just sort of winged it there and as for the flower meanings I looked up possible meanings for lilies and used what I thought suited the story most!
> 
> Thank you for reading, commenting, Kudos, and for being as amazing as you guys are ;u;!


	3. Friendship Doesn't Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five years have passed and Nozomi begins her first day at her new school, Otonokizaka academy. What kind of surprises await her here? It doesn’t take her very long to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I come with another ending to another story. I’m really satisfied with how the final chapter of this fic came out, but as always there are probably a few typos and tense mix ups. Aside from that, I really hope you enjoy it and I really hope it makes you smile.
> 
> A fun challenge while reading this is to see exactly how many references you catch, because there are plenty of them in this final chapter. (Both to previous chapters and the anime ;) )

“I’m off.” A quiet voice calls out, echoing off of the bare walls of the apartment they barely furnished in the three days of living here.

Nozomi sighs to herself as she opens the door, holding onto the stiff straps of her school bag, the newish smell clinging onto it and the violet haired girl who holds it. She locks the door with her key, slipping it safely into the bag’s side pocket before walking to the elevator. After a short wait she steps inside, pressing the button for the main floor and watching as the unfamiliar elevator doors close. She silently wonders how long she’ll see these same elevator doors for.

‘Probably until the end of their contracts for this station.’ The green eyed girl thinks bitterly. That’s how it always had been, and she knows that’s how it always will be until she lives on her own.

She pushes the thoughts away as the door opens on the second last floor, an elderly woman stepping inside with a small buggy. Nozomi returns the woman’s kind smile with one of her own until she turns to face the closing doors. Once the elevator reaches the main floor, the violet haired girl politely waits for the old woman to exit first. She’s out shortly afterward, making her way to the building entrance and pushing open the door to the street.

Warm spring air engulfs Nozomi and fills her lungs as she steps out onto the vaguely familiar road. She takes in a deep breath, exhaling slowly and ignoring the painful memories of a happier time in her childhood. She never did get to experience weather like this with them. She thinks of this every time she begins a new spring term. She sighs, pushing the thought away and beginning her trek down the sidewalk and into the direction of her new school.

Her navy uniform fits snugly around her while her hair -tied into two low twintails as opposed to the braids she once wore- bounces behind her. Her bright blue ribbon stands out brightly against the crisp white shirt underneath her blazer. Aside from her bust (a bit bigger than your average fifteen year old girls), she looks exactly like the average first year high school student making her way to school.

It was another school her parents picked out for her. This time it was and all girls academy, picked out because the location was convenient, but also so that Nozomi could avoid lecherous comments from immature high school boys (coed junior high really wasn’t the best of times for the violet haired girl.) Otonokizaka isn’t exactly the nicest of schools, especially when compared to the bright and flashy UTX Academy, but Nozomi enjoyed the spiritual power that lingered around the grounds when she visited it the week before. Parts of the building were remodeled, but the older parts that stuck out were quite charming to her.

She takes a moment to make a quick stop at the shrine, paying her respects to the gods and making a silent prayer for the day to go by alright. She knows not to get greedy and hope for her parents to be home at a decent hour, and so after giving her respects she bids farewell to the nearest shrine maiden and makes her way down the long steps. She ponders the idea about volunteering at the shrine every now and then. It’d pass the time better than sitting at home waiting for her parents, that’s for sure.

Nozomi stops at the foot of the final staircase. These steps lead up to the road just across from her new highschool. She wonders if it’s natural for her to feel no nerves whatsoever as she begins to climb the steps. Doing this many times previously must have prepared her for the first time she’d be entering her first year of high school. That or she had become numb to the new school, new start feeling. She knows somewhere down the road she’d be doing this again. This wouldn’t be her final time entering a new school, it’s something she can feel in her gut. 

Many girls with matching uniforms walk around her, most in pairs or small groups. Maroon and green coloured ribbons stand out; Upperclassmen, it seems. It makes sense, there probably weren’t very many first years who had friend groups yet. She thinks about all the potential groups that she could be apart of this year, and reminds herself to steel up her emotions before it’s too late again. There’s no way she’d be able to handle another repeat of grade school. 

The crosswalk light is green and Nozomi steps with care across the road. Here she goes again, dwelling on the past. It really is a curse. Nozomi’s mother always reminds her that it was great she was able to experience what she had and that one day she’ll look back on the memories with a fond smile. The violet haired girl wonders how many more Springs it would take before she got to that point. Looking back on the short time she had with those two girls brings more pain than it does fondness. 

She pauses just past the gate, allowing herself to glance up at the school. She gives herself a small moment, wondering exactly what they were up to right now. She knows she’s far different from the awkward child she used to be, older. Wiser. More connected to the spiritual side of things. She has a bit more confidence now that she had her cards and the gods helping her along the way. Maybe Eli and Nico were different too. Maybe Eli had become the greatest ballet dancer her family had ever seen; maybe Nico wouldn’t mind that Nozomi adopted the same hairstyle as her. Maybe she finally had a better idol catchphrase.

Nozomi smiles at that. Maybe her mother was sort of right. There was no way Nozomi  _ couldn’t  _ smile remembering that moment. She takes in a deep breath before continuing towards the school building. 

When she enters, there’s plenty of chatter between students at their shoe lockers. Nozomi quickly locates hers and opens it up, paying no mind to the students near and around her as she switches to her indoor shoes. 

“Did you hear?!” A second year student speaks, a little too loudly for an inside voice. “We’ve got a foreign student this year!”

“Ehh? No way!” Another student says. “Where’d you hear that?!” 

“Kina-chan!” The first one replies. “She says there’s a tall blonde girl on campus with a blue ribbon!”

Nozomi closes her locker and steps away from the gossiping girls. Intruding on their conversation was the last thing she wanted to do, but hearing that a foreign student might be in her grade did catch her interest. It makes her wonder if the people at Eli’s high school commented the same things about her. It wouldn’t surprise Nozomi in the slightest if they did. 

It doesn’t take her long to locate her classroom and Nozomi scans the half full room for an available seat. She settles for one a second row away from the doors, hanging her bag on the side hooks of her desk and sitting down shortly afterward. She glances around the room, noticing many girls already attracting towards each other like magnets. She resists the urge to sigh and digs into her pocket, pulling out a singular card from the top of it and scanning it carefully.

The photo of a star with eight points and a nude woman greets her and Nozomi raises her eyebrow curiously. The star is an interesting draw on her first day. Hope? Renewal? Nozomi has a feeling this draw is a fluke more than anything. Even if her readings were improving greatly, there was a very slim chance of either attributes shining throughout this day. Nozomi hasn’t had a great first day of school in years, there was absolutely no way today would be any different. 

She’s oblivious to the person sitting themselves down in front of her as she pulls her cards out, slipping the star back into the middle of it and giving the deck a quick shuffle before placing it back into her pocket. When she glances up, the classroom is just about full and the sound of the bell ringing brings everyone back to reality. Their homeroom teacher would arrive soon and then the class would begin their introductions and go over the itinerary for the semester. 

The door at the front of the class opens and in walks an older woman, who Nozomi can only assume is the teacher. She greets the class with a wave and gets to her podium, placing her folder down and introducing herself to her new class. Nozomi tunes her voice out as background noise as she begins going over the changes that come with entering high school and the challenges they may or may not face along the way. 

She’s oblivious when students begin to stand up and say their names to introduce themselves to their peers until it gets to the first girl in her row. She looks down the line of girls unamused until the golden locks of the person in front of her catch her eye. She blinks once, remembering something from long ago. A crisp autumn day, she’s walking home in her favourite lavender sweater. A few steps ahead of her, a girl with jet black hair and an excited smile and another girl with-

Her thoughts are cut off when the girl stands up, speaking in a voice loud and clear as she looks around the room.

“It’s nice to meet you all. My names Ayase Eli. Let’s get along.”

Nozomi’s heart leapt from the deep pits of her chest cavity right up into the top of her throat. Her eyes widen as Eli moves to sit down. Everythings in slow motion as she struggles to find her voice; to control her emotions. It’s her turn to introduce herself, but how is she able to do that now? Her stomach turns as the eyes of every student paying attention to the introductions land on her and she internally panics. She never could handle it when the attention was all on only her.

She tries to swallow the nervous lump in her throat but with one of the greatest people in her life sitting in the seat right in front of her, Nozomi isn’t so sure she’s able to even form a coherent sentence. She carefully stands up, her hands shaking ever so slightly. She inhales deeply; exhales slowly. She gives a silent prayer to the gods to help her get through until lunch when she can make a break for the bathroom to compose herself.

“G-Good morning.” She mentally winces as her voice cracks, but presses forward. It’s now or never, she has to say this introduction as quickly as ripping off a band aid. 

“I’m-” a short pause, her eyes forcing themselves to look away from the girl seated in front of her. “I’m Tojo Nozomi. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I look forward to working with you.” 

The girl in front of her stiffens and it doesn’t go unnoticed. Nozomi bites her lip and sits down quickly, wondering why of all people to be seated behind it had to be someone from her past. Someone important, but with unresolved conflicts. Well, it wasn’t like any of those were Nozomi’s fault, but Eli had every right to hate and be mad at her for not telling the truth and giving a proper goodbye to her and Nico. 

Her heart sinks at that thought. Eli and Nico were so good to her. The best of the best. Nozomi thought about them for so long, wondered what they were up to. Did they miss her like she missed them? Did they resent her for not being able to say goodbye properly? They were all small, fragile children. She should’ve told them she was moving all those years ago, she should have gotten their phone numbers and stayed in touch. There were many things Nozomi should have done but she was so caught up in the memories she was making with them, she forgot all about her parents nomadic lifestyle and the fact she would leave. Even though she reminded herself when she befriended them, being with them helped her forget all of her worries. She was a really dumb child. She would never be able to make up for the mistakes she made in her childhood.

The student introductions are finished and Nozomi’s eyes focus on her desk as the teacher’s voice becomes background noise again. The feeling of being watched becomes awfully overwhelming and Nozomi knows that if she were to glance up, she’d find a piercing blue gaze glancing back at her. But she couldn’t do it. How do you look in the eyes of someone whose last vision of you was from the back seat of a cab as you were being taken away to a new home? Nozomi didn’t have a clue. She wonders if they look at her with disgust or hatred, but she doesn’t want to take that chance to find out. It might make the mask she struggles to keep on her face shatter.

The eyes that are on her look away and Nozomi lets go of the small breath she holds. The teacher instructs everyone to pull out their notebooks and Nozomi forces herself to think of only the tasks at hand. The school work is easy enough and time consuming, so it’s easy to distract her from the current worries that linger in the back of her mind.

It works like that for the whole morning. The lunch bell rings and Nozomi wastes no time in making her hasty exit. She pushes herself up from her seat eagerly, not bothering to gather her lunch bag as she pushes herself towards the back exit of the classroom. She needs to find the closest bathroom and she needs to take a good five minute breather by herself in the closest stall available. Her eyes well with tears and keeping back the grand mixture of emotions she feels begins to get harder. 

For once, Nozomi wishes that her parents would announce their next move later that evening. She silently scolds herself because running away from her problems never solves them in the long run. Even if she’s unprepared, she knows something will be done about it today. The cards themselves say so.

She steps down the stairs carefully, remembering a bathroom close to the shoe lockers at the entrance. It was a bit far from her classroom, but it was better to head somewhere she knows rather than explore the hallways aimlessly, ready to pop like a balloon and let her tears spill. A couple students walk past her and she can feel her anxiety growing at the thought of girls being in the bathroom and hearing her cry.

The sounds of fast approaching footsteps coming from above reach her. She quickens her pace and moves from the first staircase to the second, making sure to stay out of the way of whoever was speeding down the stairs. She can hear the sound of feet leaping from the first set of stairs onto the platform to the next, and the sounds of a pair of shoes skidding to a stop at the top of them.

“NOZOMI!” 

And just like that, Nozomi freezes. Her lips quiver as her name is shouted in that familiar and yet completely different voice. Heavy and labored breathing can be heard from the person who called her and she scrunches her eyebrows slightly. Did Eli run after her?! Nozomi’s curiosity takes over and with the little courage she can muster, she turns herself to face the girl at the top of the stairs. 

It’s worth it. Nozomi inhales deeply, her eyes clouding a bit with her tears as Eli stands six steps above her, one hand on the wall to support her as she gulped in breaths of air. How fast did she run to catch up with Nozomi?! Did she turn the wrong direction? Nozomi didn’t think she was a huge distance from the classroom itself. Whatever the reason, it’s quickly forgotten as Nozomi watches the worried expression on the blondes face make a 180 and become a small, unsure smile.

With that, her mask cracks. Nozomi lets her emotions show, returning the blondes smile with an unsure one of her own. Her heart is beating like crazy and time slows slightly as they keep eye contact. The tears don’t spill but her voice is raw when she opens her mouth to speak.

“Hi Elichi.”

Nozomi isn’t sure if she’s seen anyone’s eyes light up so brightly before and Eli’s smile becomes more genuine. She laughs and god- it’s like the spirits themselves blessed Eli with the voice of an angel. She smiles a bit more as well, the worrisome thoughts from earlier slowly evaporating into nothing. A laugh didn’t mean Eli had forgiven her, but she’s happy to see Nozomi at least. That much shows. 

Eli’s quick to move, stepping down the steps carelessly and throwing her arms tightly around the violet haired girl. The warmth from her body travels rapidly through Nozomi, like a spark shooting through her entire being. Nozomi keeps her feet anchored carefully, stiffening from the surprise hug and grabbing onto the hand railing tightly with one hand, using the other to cling to Eli just as tightly. She may be wearing a petrified expression but the only thing her mind registers is how warm Eli is and how wonderful this hug feels. When Nozomi’s footing begins to slip slightly, she decides to stop being lost in the moment.

“E-Elichi, we’re gunna fall if we aren’t careful!” Nozomi’s voice cracks and she hopes and prays that gravity isn’t too harsh on them when they do topple backward.

“I knew I’d see you again.” Eli whispers, her arms loosening only a little bit so she can plant her feet firmly on the stairs as well. “I knew that day wouldn’t be goodbye forever.”

It’s taking all of Nozomi not to burst into tears in that very moment. Eli had faith she would come back when Nozomi believed she’d never see her or Nico ever again. Her heart aches at just the thought of it and she watches as Eli pulls herself away, her eyes locking with Nozomi’s for the second time.

“You-” Nozomi starts, but the words get caught in her throat.

“Me?” Eli prompts, and Nozomi struggles to find her voice.

“You’re not... upset?” 

Eli looks baffled for a moment before a serious expression rests on her features. Butterflies begin to swarm in her stomach and Nozomi instantly regrets asking such a stupid question. Of course Eli was upset, she had no reason not to be.

“I was,” Eli begins. “But not at you.”

Nozomi isn’t sure how to react. Her eyebrows furrow in confusion as she stares at Eli. Eli’s hands find their way to Nozomi’s, holding them gently like they had the first time Eli reassured her. Nozomi’s butterflies die down at the comforting gesture as Eli elaborates.

“I was upset because I never got to say goodbye. Or even give you my number.” She mumbles, and there’s a tiny laugh from her. “Can you believe that? In all that time I never even gave you my phone number. We were pretty dumb kids, huh?”

A couple girls watch curiously as they walk by them, Eli’s hand still holding onto Nozomi’s closely. Nozomi opens her mouth to say something, but the thought quickly leaves as she lets out an awkward laugh. Eli’s gaze softens as Nozomi laughs a bit more, taking her hand to wipe her dampened eyes.

“You know, I think about that all the time. How did we even plan things back then?” the violet haired girl asks and Eli laughs again. 

“At school and more often than not pretty spontaneously.” Eli recalls. “It was usually-”

Eli cuts herself off, a realization dawning on her and her smile growing into a bright grin. She lets go of Nozomi’s other hand, grabbing her wrist firmly instead. Nozomi gasps as Eli yanks her back up the stairs, determination on her face as she pulls Nozomi to match her pace.

“E-Elichi?!” Nozomi breathes. She can’t form any words as Eli glances behind her, the smile still on her face.

“You’re coming with me.” 

There’s that playful tone to her voice and Nozomi’s unable to believe the similarities she’s noticed after so much time has passed. Sure, Eli’s taller, her voice is deeper and puberty has clearly begun its transformation on the quarter russian, but there’s no mistaking that expression. The sly glint of her eyes is dangerous and yet Nozomi can’t help but let the blonde pull her up the stairs, back down the hallway she eagerly walked through only moments before.

“W-Where are we-” Nozomi stumbles along after Eli, increasing her pace to keep up with her. Her heart thuds louder and louder and her breath shortens, becoming more anxious as Eli continues to guide and weave her through the other girls in the hallway.

“You’ll see!” Eli replies, quickening her pace. Nozomi’s expression is fearful.

“S-slow down Elichi! I can’t keep up!” She tries to reason with the blonde, but the hold on her wrist tightens a bit painfully and Eli says nothing.

They approach the classroom of 1-C and Nozomi’s grateful they’ve finally reached their destination. She takes a quick moment to inhale deeper breaths of air, but Eli gives her little to no time to take a second breath as she whips the sliding door open with a loud “BANG.” The students inside leap at the sound and Eli takes a single step inside, taking no time to scan for someone as she shouts one single name.

“NICOCCHI!”

Nozomi’s grateful she took that deep breath of air because the winds knocked out of her at Eli’s declaration. She’s glad Eli is tall and still just in front of the doorway and blocking her from anyone else's view. She scans the parts of the class she can see carefully, trying to locate the person Eli calls out to, but she’s only greeted with the confused expressions of other girls in their grade.

“What the heck Eli?!” And there it is. Nozomi tenses up at the voice. It’s deeper as well, but it’s one hundred percent Nico. The violet haired girl wonders if it’s possible for her heart to explode from this much emotions.

“What makes you think you can just slam into other classrooms and-” There’s a pause for a moment and Nico speaks again, not amused in the slightest. “What gives with the nickname? I haven’t been called that in-”

“Five years.” Eli interrupts, that sly grin still on her face. 

“Yeah. So what gives?” Nico’s voice is unamused. Panic sets in with Nozomi again at the thought of Nico’s reaction. Given by the sound of her voice, it doesn’t seem to have a good start.

Eli says nothing as she steps out of the way, pulling Nozomi forward. Nozomi gasps and stumbles a bit, fixing her footing and blushing in embarrassment. The sound of a bento box dropping and a gasp is all Nozomi hears and she glances away from the floor to the source. 

Unlike Eli and herself, Nico barely changed physically. She’s petite in every sense of the word and very pretty. Like a doll, Nozomi thinks. A dainty, twin tailed doll with the brightest red eyes she’d ever seen. Her eyes are wide, her mouth agape and her lunch all over her desk. Her hair no longer sits in the low twintails it used to but rather in higher ones on either side of her head, tied together carefully with two bright red ribbons. She stands immediately from her seat, quickly moving until she’s only a few steps away from Nozomi and Eli. 

The eyes of everyone in the classroom are on them and Nozomi’s grateful that Eli and Nico are here to take some of the attention. Nico’s eyes look over Nozomi two, three times before they settle on her face. She swallows nervously and for some reason, that reassures Nozomi. She smiles a bit, and it’s all just a little too much for her now. The mask she wears shatters completely, the cracked bits falling as her smile grows more.

“Hi Nicocchi.” She greets, and Nico’s stance relaxes ever so slightly. There’s a twitch to the corner of the red eyed girls lips and she begins to smile.

“I can’t believe it.” She says, and her voice is just as raw as Nozomi’s. “Is this even real? Is that really you, Non-tan?” 

Nozomi quickly nods her head, her heart soaring at the use of a nickname she hasn’t heard in so long. Nico doesn’t skip a beat as she laughs, stepping closer to Nozomi.

“You’ve changed so much!” She blurts out and Nozomi laughs. It’s wet, and she realizes now that her tears have finally started to fall in big, heavy drops.

“You haven’t changed at all!” She replies, earning a tiny laugh from the blonde next to her. 

Nico’s quick to close the space completely, chopping Nozomi on the forehead with a firm hand. Nozomi flinches and mumbles a small ow, rubbing the now sore spot and looking at Nico with only one eye open. More of Eli’s laughter can be heard as she pouts.

“That’s for insulting my beautiful, tiny figure and for you shitty ass goodbye the last time I saw you!” Nico shouts sternly. Nozomi’s pout becomes a small frown as she stops rubbing the spot Nico hit.

She probably did deserve that small whap to the head.

She’s quickly enveloped by tiny arms, pulling her tightly towards the smaller girl and holding her closely. Tufts of black hair tickle Nozomi’s face as she freezes, a bit confused from the gesture. Nico’s voice is quiet as she speaks again and Nozomi can feel her shoulder dampening from tears.

“And this is ‘cuz it’s okay and I forgive you.” Nico mumbles, her fingers clinging tightly to her and wrinkling Nozomi’s uniform. “I was just mad cause I didn’t want you to go so soon.”

A sob escapes Nozomi’s lips as she wraps her own arms around Nico just as tightly, burying her face into the tiny girl, muffling her voice as she spoke.

“I didn’t want to either!”

Quiet whispers from onlooking students come from around the room. Eli pays no mind to them as her two friends cling to each other, their tears and sobs muffled by each other's blazers. Some get bored and bring their attention to other things and eventually Nozomi and Nico pull away, smiles on both of their tear stained faces.

“I can’t believe this.” Nico says, struggling to find her handkerchief as Nozomi pulls her own from her pocket. When she proves to be unsuccessful, Eli digs into her blazer and hands Nico her own.

“Me either.” The blonde says with a smile. “I told you it’d happen.”

“Are you seriously giving me an ‘I told you so’ right now,  _ Elichika _ ?!” Nico scowls, using the nickname Eli’s grandmother had given her. Nozomi giggles, wiping her face free of the tears.

“Would you have preferred I waited until after school? Or when Nozomi wasn’t around?” the blonde retorts with a blush and Nozomi laughs harder, her anxiety about seeing the two of them again gone and that feeling of complete bliss settling in it’s place. It pulls Nico and Eli away from their argument and they smile softly towards their friend.

“I can’t believe it either.” Nozomi says. “Aside from your looks and voices, you guys haven’t changed much at all, have you?”

An awkward silence settles over them as Nico and Eli look to each other with unsure glances and frowns. Nozomi wonders if it was too quick for her to assume everything between the three of them would be okay. Nico looks away as Eli slowly begins to speak.

“Actually-” she pauses, looking at Nozomi apologetically. “A lot’s changed.” 

Nozomi looks between them, the mood settling into an upsetting one. She contemplates asking the two of them about the things that went on in her absence but the looks on their faces tell her it isn’t the appropriate time to ask such details. She thinks back to her morning card draw, the image of the star lingering in her mind. Hope and renewal were two of the things that came with it upright, but reversed the card meant lack of faith. Despair. Discouragement. She makes another selfish decision, and she hopes this time it’s better for her beloved friends. 

“Even so,” Nozomi says, her voice clear and for the first time that day, confident. “The cards say only good things can happen today.”

Eli and Nico make eye contact again, both of them confused by Nozomi’s words. They look to her afterward and Nozomi’s smile creeps towards her eyes, her dimples standing out as she puts her hands behind her and holds them together. Her smile doesn’t help their confusion and she glances to the clock. There’s about fifteen minutes left of their lunch break, but that wouldn’t be enough time for what she began planning.

“What do you mean by that, Nozomi?” Eli asks, unsure of what Nozomi’s planning.

“Hmm.. I wonder too.” Nozomi replies, her smile still wide. “But I trust it. The cards haven’t failed me yet, and today I got to be reunited with the both of you.”

Eli falls silent and Nico frowns a bit.

“The cards?” She says, a bit skeptical. “What kind of hobbies have you gotten yourself into?” 

There’s a small smirk on her face and Nozomi chuckles. 

“I’ll have you know I’ve spent less time reading by myself in the past five years and more time connecting with my more… spiritual side.” She grins a bit, letting her hands fall to her sides. “Why don’t we meet up after school?”

It’s an innocent question and Nozomi pushes away the thought bubble of worry that forms in her head. Nico doesn’t hesitate with her answer.

“Of course. You’ve missed five incredible years with the great Nico Nii! You’re gunna need all the time you can get to catch up with that.”

Eli and Nozomi laugh and the mood picks up as the two shorter girls look to their taller blonde friend.

“I don’t see why not. I don’t have any plans after school anyway.” She reasons, and Nozomi smiles more.

“Perfect.” She says, turning around and heading towards the door. “There is still something I need to do right now, but maybe we can all meet at the gates after school?”

“Sounds good. You better be there.” Her black haired friend says in a warning tone, eyeing her carefully as she makes her way closer to the door. Nozomi laughs again and her smile softens.

“Believe me, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Once Nozomi exits the room Eli and Nico look to each other.  There’s a small silence between them before Eli turns and steps back towards the door. She hesitates, unsure of if there’s anything else she should say and before she can turn around to face Nico again, the red eyed girl speaks.

“Hey Eli..?” 

Eli glances backward for a moment, looking at the other girl.

“Thank you. For thinking of me too.” 

It’s earnest and heartfelt and Eli can’t help but smile at the other girl, turning around and voicing her reply.

“It wouldn’t be a proper reunion without you, Nico.”

The blonde then exits the classroom, leaving Nico standing there with a broad grin on her face. She quickly moves to her desk, cleaning up and saving what she can of her spilled lunch. She hastily finishes it, keeping in mind of the great after school plans that await her.

* * *

***  
School ends and Nozomi is eager to leave. With her books packed and everything on hand, she heads to the shoe lockers on her own, since Eli was held up by a couple of the upperclassmen outside the classroom. She hums a bit to herself as she slips her outdoor shoes back on and makes her way to the school gates. Nothing can bring her mood down- she was on cloud nine.

She sees the small form of Nico standing by the entrance and she takes a few larger steps towards her. As she gets closer, she notices Nico isn’t even paying attention to her scenery and the idea to sneak up on her has never been more tempting in her life. With a mischievous grin, Nozomi slows her steps to a stealthy creep. She tiptoes closer and closer to the unsuspecting girl, laughter bubbling in her throat.

She’s right behind Nico now and the other girl has yet to notice her. She leans closer slowly, biting her lip to hold back the giggle that tries desperately to escape her lips. She’s as close as she can get to the shorter girl and without even thinking about it, Nozomi blows against her ear. Nico shouts, jumping away from Nozomi immediately as the violet haired girl bursts out into a loud fit of laughter. She clutches her ear and frowns instantly, not impressed with Nozomi’s joke.

“You know, a normal greeting isn’t exactly sneaking up on people and blowing in their ears.” Nico scolds. Nozomi wipes an imaginary tear from her face, composing herself and grinning at her friend.

“Sorry Nicocchi, I couldn’t resist.” A grin stays on her face as she tilts her head curiously. “Something on your mind? Or are you just super easy to sneak up on?”

Nico shrugs, looking away from Nozomi towards the school.

“Forget about that, where’s Eli?”

Nozomi’s eyebrows furrow a bit, but she doesn’t question the topic change.

“A couple upperclassmen wanted to speak with her. She told me to go on ahead.” Nozomi responds. Nico nods a bit before looking back at Nozomi.

“Can you believe the amount of gossip about her?!” She asks incredulously. “It’s only the first day and she’s all anybody can talk about. You should’ve heard my class after you guys came in at lunch time, some of them are convinced she’s a foreign delinquent who came here to get on the path to a better life…”

Nozomi laughs at the rumour.

“Blonde hair and blue eyes seems to attract a lot of attention considering it isn’t common here.” Nozomi reasons. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”

“Sorry to keep you waiting!” Nozomi and Nico glance over to see Eli running towards them. She takes a couple breaths and smiles crookedly. “Were you guys here long?”

“Not at all, Elichi.” Nozomi smiles.

There’s a small silence between the three of them before Nozomi proposes the they begin the trek to her house. Nico and Eli aren’t sure if it’s okay to intrude unannounced, but Nozomi assures them that it’s fine. Even if her parents are home -as unlikely as that would be- they wouldn’t mind. Being reminded of that fact and learning it was still the same as the past makes Eli and Nico look to each other with concern as Nozomi leads the way towards her place.

A quick ten minute walk is all it takes and the three of them stand silently in the elevator up to Nozomi’s apartment. The violet haired girl digs her key out of her bag, stepping off the elevator once it reaches the floor she lives on. Eli and Nico follow behind her silently, both lost in their own train of thoughts. It catches Nozomi’s attention as she stops in front of the apartment door that reads 502. She pauses only for a moment before moving to unlock her door, opening it up and allowing them to step inside first.

“Pardon our intrusion.” Nico and Eli say almost immediately, pausing in hopes that they might hear some sort of response.

“It’s alright. It’s just me today.” Nozomi gives them all a small smile, despite a pain lingering in her eyes. She shuts the door behind herself, mumbling a quiet “I’m home.” To herself before kicking off her shoes.

“We can go to my room. Nowhere else is quite unpacked yet, but I’ll put on the kettle and make some tea for us.” The violet haired girl suggests. Nico and Eli agree to the idea and Nozomi shows them to her room, telling them to make themselves comfortable wherever they’d like. 

They take in the appearance of the room and Nico smiles a bit at its appearance. The setup of the furniture is almost the exact same as it used to be, aside from Nozomi’s futon being replaced with a bed. Sitting atop of it is an old but well loved raccoon plush and the black haired girl picks it up, giving it a small hug as Eli glances over the objects Nozomi has on display atop her desk. There’s that same framed photo of her and her family and right next to it, a new addition. Eli picks it up and smiles brightly.

“Hey Nico, come look at this.” Eli turns to Nico, holding out the picture frame to her. Nico puts the plush down, stepping over and grinning a bit at the photo.

It’s a shot from winter that Nozomi’s father had taken at the shrine of the three of them. It was a sneak shot with the three of them laughing by the steps, bits of snow all over their faces. Eli and Nico recall the moment clearly, Nico slipping on the final step and pulling Nozomi down with her, who in turn dragged Eli along for the ride. The shot was taken after the three of them had pushed themselves up from the snow mound, and the tears in the eyes were only from laughter rather than pain. It’s a nice memory and Nico puts the picture back down on Nozomi’s desk with a smile.

“That really was the best way to get into the new year.” Nico admits. Eli laughs lightly.

“We had so much snow that got into our parkas and pants. I didn’t feel warm until we got back to Nozomi’s house and had hot chocolate.” She says and Nico laughs loudly as she recalls the moment perfectly.

“We huddled close to you afterward and you were still freezing!” 

They laugh together and a comfortable silence falls over the two of them. They move to sit down at the small table set up in the middle of the room, placing their bags down beside them and waiting patiently for Nozomi to return. They don’t make eye contact, the both of them deciding it’s best to take in what little was around the room. Nico’s the first to break the silence between them.

“Do you think we’ll be able to go back to like it was?” It’s asked like a question, but Eli knows that Nico has an idea of the answer.

“Of course not.” Eli replies, closing her eyes. “It’ll never be like it was back then. There’s no point in hoping for the impossible.”

“But do you really think that?” Nico doesn’t look at Eli as she asks it, instead turning her head up to the ceiling and pondering the question herself. 

Eli thinks for a moment and sighs.

“I want nothing more than to go back to the way we were.” She mumbles, putting her focus on the table in front of them. “But it’ll never happen.”

Nico sighs, looking down from the ceiling and looking to the table as well.

“You’re probably right.” She agrees reluctantly.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t quite count on that.” 

The voice startles the both of them and they leap in their spots, looking over surprised to Nozomi. She has a warm smile on her features and a tray in her hands. Three random mugs filled to the brim as well as a plate of assorted cookies sit on it. The violet haired girl makes her way towards them, placing the tray down and carefully setting a cup in front of the other two. Nico pales slightly and Eli bites her lip, unsure about how much of their conversation Nozomi heard.

As if reading her mind, Nico speaks first.

“How long were you standing there?” 

“Long enough.” Is Nozomi’s reply. She sits herself down on the other side, crossing her legs and looking between the two of them.

Eli and Nico share awkward eye contact before glancing to their friend.

“So..” Eli begins, wondering how to continue. Nozomi takes a small sip of her tea, flinching because it’s still a bit too hot for her liking. Nico snickers and avoids the gaze Nozomi sends her way. The green eyed girl then turns her attention to Eli, smiling quickly and putting her tea down.

“So?” She prompts, and Eli frowns a bit.

“So uh..” She pauses, wondering exactly what to ask. “I guess.. what’s up…?”

Nico and Nozomi stare at Eli and watch as a blush dusts her cheeks. Nozomi grins a bit, shrugging.

“A lot of things are up Elichi. The ceiling, clouds, the bright blue sky-”

“Nozomi!”

“You forgot to mention birds, stars, the infinite amount of galaxies in the distance-”

“Nico!” 

Nozomi and Nico laugh at the same time as Eli pouts. It’s still too easy to tease the blonde and Nozomi relishes in the moment. 

“Sorry Elichi.” She says with an apologetic smile. “and to you too, Nicocchi. I’m sorry.”

Eli and Nico are confused as Nozomi takes a cookie from the plate, opening its package carefully before elaborating for them.

“I can tell this is a bit awkward for you both.” She says simply, able to read the mood as easily as a newspaper headline. 

“You can?” Nico asks, not bothering to hide the fact. 

“Well yeah.” Nozomi shrugs a bit, looking at Nico. “I’m pretty good at reading situations.”

Eli decides to take a sip of her tea, winding from the heat but letting the hot liquid go down her throat regardless. Nico says nothing and takes a cookie for herself, munching on it idly as Nozomi continues to hold hers. They sit like that for a moment before Nozomi looks at the two of them.

“Is it okay if I ask what happened?” It sounds a bit vulnerable in her soft tone of voice. She’s curious, but she doesn’t want to pry if Nico and Eli aren’t willing to share. 

They’re both silent and Nozomi glances down from them, feeling a bit unsure about her plan to talk it out with them. 

“It wasn’t because I left, was it?” She asks in an even quieter voice.

Hands slam on the table and cause her to jump and tea to spill from Nico’s full cup. She accidentally flings the cookie in her hands into the air and it lands with a small thud onto the table.

“Never.” Nico begins, her voice low and serious. “Never  _ EVER _ let yourself believe you’re to blame, Nozomi.”

There’s a hint of fear in Nozomi’s eyes. She’s never seen Nico so serious before, and while it’s quite a thrilling sight, Nozomi knows this seriousness isn’t something to marvel. A storm of emotions swarms through Nico’s vibrant red eyes.

“What happened when you were gone-” Nico continues, swallowing the small lump in her throat. “What happened has no relation to you at all. It was just a string of bad things turning to worse things. The only way it really involves you is because it started when we lost you.”

Nozomi stays silent, a worried frown appearing on her face. She looks to Eli for some sort of reassurance, but the blonde’s unable to glance at her. She’s focused on Nico, her eyes reading worry as the black haired girl struggles to find more words to continue. 

“Nicocchi-” Nozomi mumbles, looking towards the black haired girl. “You don’t have to tell me if you can’t.”

“No.” Nico objects, shaking her head. “I do.” 

She takes her handkerchief from her bag, wiping up the spilled tea before holding it carefully and thinking about where to begin. 

“After you left, Eli and I were sad of course. We just lost our best friend and we didn’t get to say goodbye. It wasn’t fair. We knew it wasn’t your fault at all, but boy was I pissed at your parents.” 

Nozomi listens intently as Nico begins the story, all focus on her tea and the abandoned cookie gone. Eli watches with soft eyes, knowing exactly where this story lead and not looking forward to it. The red eyed girl doesn’t face either of them as she continues to speak.

“We fell back into our old routine, but it wasn’t the same without you. The stuff we used to do, the things we talked about, it just got hard to do that again. It wasn’t the same anymore, you know? We needed some time to get used to it again.”

She lets go of her tea, facing Nozomi completely now.

“Anyway, eventually it worked. Sort of. We didn’t mind where we ended up with each other. But I guess about three months after you left-” There’s a small pause as Nico takes a deep breath, as if accepting something and preparing herself to say it.

“Three months after, Eli’s family went on their annual vacation to Russia. Since half of Eli’s family is there they went all the time, but this time they decided to stay there a bit longer-”

“It wasn’t a permanent move.” Eli quickly adds in, bringing Nozomi’s attention to her. “Grandma just wanted to spend more time back home, and since Mom and Dad are pretty busy with their work and we were young kids, we went with her.”

“Right. Yeah, so I knew that too.” Nico continues, recalling the facts perfectly. “We recently made e-mails in school. You know, learning computers and all that jazz, so we decided to stay in contact through e-mails. They were kinda fun and it gave my mom an excuse to let me on the laptop a little bit more so that Eli and I could talk as much as we could.”

“You’d think everything would be fine that way, wouldn’t you?” Nico has a tiny, broken smile on her face as she looks away from Nozomi again. “But it wasn’t.”

Nozomi doesn’t dare speak as Nico pauses. She shakes her head, and Nozomi knows that’s about all she can say. She looks to Eli for more answers, and is greeted by sad, blue eyes.

“Nico’s Father passed away.” Eli says sadly, getting right to the point of the story. “She hadn’t responded to my e-mails for a week. Her mom ended up going online to let me know.” 

There’s an overwhelming urge to comfort Nico washing over Nozomi, but she reminds herself that all of this happened in the year she left. What good would comforting her now do? Five years is a long time, if Nozomi comforts her about it now that might bring more painful memories to the surface. She looks to Nico, not at all offended that she has turned herself away from the both of them.

“It was hard. I came back to Japan for a week and stayed with Nico the whole time.” Eli continues the story from where Nico left off. “But I couldn’t really do much. I didn’t really know how to comfort Nico, and it got pretty awkward.”

“It’s the thought that counts.” Nico interrupts. Her eyes are teary, but her voice is softer and quieter than before. 

“Still-” Eli starts again. “I felt pretty bad I couldn’t do much for Nico and when I returned to Russia, Grandma had enlisted me into the old dance academy she had been apart of. It was nice, because I had hoped to do some more dancing and focus on that.”

“It was a lot harder than dance classes here, but I didn’t let that phase me at first. I tried really hard, but by the end of it I kept getting bothered by little things. Where my steps landed, my form at the end, everything wasn’t good enough for me or my teachers.” 

Eli smiles weakly at Nozomi, and the violet haired girl doesn’t need to think hard to guess what Eli’s about to tell her.

“I came in last in the only competition I entered there. It was between only me and three other girls, and it was after that I decided to quit.”

Nozomi has no words to say as Eli takes a moment to sip her tea, it at the perfect temperature for her to get a good gulp of it. She places her cup down carefully, keeping her hands around it and absorbing its warmth.

“I decided to focus on my studies instead. E-mails between Nico and I became less frequent, I became busy with my grades and she became busy with other things. We didn’t really have a falling out of any sort, it just became a bit harder to stay in contact with one another and eventually, it went from best friends, to friends… and then to here.”

It’s quiet between the three of them, and Nozomi feels better now that she understands what happened between the both of them.

“And then to here, huh...” She says absentmindedly. She takes her own cup of tea in her hands, looking into the liquid and thinking about the morning card draw again. “You really weren’t kidding when you said a lot’s changed.” 

There’s a few chuckles from the three of them and Nozomi smiles a bit. Despite the heavy atmosphere the story brought, it’s feeling lighter and fluffier already. It hits Nozomi exactly what path her cards are trying to lead her down and she carefully sips more of her tea, gingerly placing the half full cup down and looking at her two friends.

“I’m really sorry.” She begins. “I wish I could’ve been there for you, Nicocchi. Even if I couldn’t help, having at least one of us here to go to might have helped. And I wish I was there to support you in your choice Elichi. You both went through a lot of stuff at the same time as each other.”

Eli and Nico nod together. Hard is an understatement, especially since it all seemed to happen at once for the two of them. 

“But maybe that’s why the cards told me what they did this morning.”

“The cards again?” Nico asks, a frown on her face. “What exactly are these cards, Nozomi?” 

“My tarot cards.” Nozomi answers.

Eli looks at Nozomi with curious eyes and the violet haired girl only smiles at her. Nico’s eyebrows are furrowed, waiting for a further explanation from their friend. Nozomi digs into her pocket and pulls the deck out, placing it gently on the table.

“After we moved again, I decided to change.” Nozomi begins her own story, looking between the two of them. “I decided that even if I never got to see you two again, I wanted to continue being the person the both of you helped me become. For some reason, I thought it might make you two a bit proud of me even if you might never know.” 

She pushes herself from her spot on the table, moving over to her closet and digging inside of it a bit. She continues to speak to them as she searches for a specific object.

“It worked. I was able to talk with kids in my class, I was able to be a bit more open with myself, and I even learnt how to be more open with my parents too.” 

She pulls out a small, unpacked box and walks back over to the table. She puts it down on the floor next to her, wiping a bit of dust off of it before opening the flaps up carefully. Eli and Nico watch on silently, unsure of what she planned to show them.

“It’s all thanks to you two.” Nozomi says, putting a photo album down on the table with a small smile. “If I never met you, and got to experience the fun and eventful few months I did, I think it would have taken me a lot longer to realize who I wanted to be.”

Nico reaches out to it first, pulling it closer to her and examining the plain, purple cover carefully. She opens it up to the first page and dawning the front of it is a photo of the three of them from the first time they ever hung out outside of school. They were standing in exaggerated idol poses courtesy of Nico, and it was the only successful photo they were able to take that day with the timer on the camera. The black haired girl laughs, scanning the photo with a grin.

“You still have these?!” Nico says, looking at Nozomi with smiling eyes. Nozomi nods.

“That photo album holds every single photo we ever took together. Well, every single photo we didn’t delete.” She grins a bit, scooting over to one of Nico’s sides “I made it myself after our second move since leaving Tokyo. Mom decided to print out all the photos for me so that we could make space on the camera. You can tell I made it forever ago because of the awful gel pen handwriting.” 

“Oh my god, you’re right!” Nico laughs again, noticing the date scribbled underneath the picture in bright purplish, glittery gel pen ink. “Eli, you gotta come over here and look at this!”

The blonde scoots over eagerly, looking over Nico’s shoulder. The three of them flip the page, revealing a ridiculous collage of Nico’s terrible pictures with Eli and Nozomi making idol poses.

“Oh my god, I remember this one!” Eli says immediately, pointing to an exaggerated one of her. “You claimed it was the best photo you had ever taken in your entire life.”

“I still believe that.” Nico grins. “Come on, look at that lighting and tell me it’s not good.” Nico looks at Nozomi for approval but Nozomi laughs.

“Well it’s not. It’s terrible. Elichi’s face is so dark and you can barely see anything else going on aside from her pose because the lighting is super overpowering.” 

This time it’s Eli who laughs and Nico pushes Nozomi lightly with a tiny smirk on her face.

“Oh yeah? Let’s see how great of a photo your nine year old self took!” Nico challenges, encouraging Nozomi to try and top her camera skills. There’s a glint of determination in those bright green eyes of hers and Nozomi flips a few pages ahead, stopping only when she gets to a page with a single photo on it.

It’s a simple photo of Nico and Eli laughing really hard with their faces completely red. They recognize it as a photo from their sleepover after Eli’s dance competition, during the time they were making their cute little necklace pendants together. There’s a bit of glue on Eli’s face and Nico stuck a plastic gem to her, and there’s nothing but absolute fun and happiness in the photo. The two of them look to Nozomi, who smiles softly at them.

“You know what my one of my favourite parts about being with you two is?” She asks them quietly, playing a bit with the hem of her skirt. 

“Everything?” Nico answers instantly, causing Eli to nudge her playfully. Nozomi grins at the answer.

“Aside from that, Nicocchi.” She says with a laugh.

Nico shrugs, smiling at Nozomi and waiting for the real answer.

“You’re both so different. You have different mindsets, you’re stubborn on what you think is true, you both even tried looking to me so that you’d have some outside party who would agree with your choices.” Nozomi laughs a bit more, recalling a time when they asked her if cats or bunnies were better.

“But you never let that come between you two. You were closer than ever and you gave me an opportunity to be apart of the friendship you guys had. I loved watching you two and I loved being included.” 

Nozomi flips to the next page, showing another photo of the three of them at that same slumber party. Underneath it is the very same pendant Eli had given her, glued carefully to the book and with an arrow pointing to it, describing it as “The best accessory in the world.”

“You still have it.” Eli breathes, her fingers reaching out and touching it carefully.

“Of course!” Nozomi replies instantly. “The chain I had broke and it was around the time I was still in the middle of making this. So I glued it down here so that I’d never lose it.”

Eli’s gaze softens as she pulls her hand away. She looks at Nico and Nozomi, and the violet haired girl is quick to notice the tears that threaten to fall. Her eyes glimmer in the light and the happiness is all Nozomi can see through the tears that well up.

“You know something funny?” She asks them, her smile keeping its place on her face.

“What?” Nico responds, lifting her eyebrows at Eli.

The blonde carefully pulls up her blazer sleeve, and soon after the sleeve of her long shirt. Around her wrist is a carefully crafted bracelet made with light blue and light purple coloured threads woven together. Attached to it in the center is the very same pendant Nico had gifted her. The two girls marvel at the neat handiwork of Eli’s bracelet and Eli smiles.

“I try not to wear it all the time because the threads are kind of weary and need to be replaced, but I never forget to wear it on the first day of school.”

Nico’s eyes sparkle and she grins a bit at Eli, digging down underneath her blazer and cardigan and pulling out her own necklace that held the purple pendant Nozomi crafted. Nozomi’s eyes sparkle with glee and she grins as Eli’s eyes go wide at the revelation.

“Me either!” She replies in an excited voice, looking to Nozomi “I remember deciding to wear it in case the odd chance of seeing Non-tan again happened so I could say ‘Look! I’m wearing it!’ But eventually I just got used to wearing it on the first day of school or the first day returning from any kind of holiday just cause.”

“That’s what I was thinking when I did it too!” The excitement in Eli’s voice is crazy high and both her and Nico laugh together at their strange yet amazing coincidence. 

They continue to laugh, Nico throwing her arm around the taller blonde’s shoulders and pulling the two of them closer to each other. Nozomi’s heart swells at the sight. It seems the star was an appropriate draw for today’s fortune, because some sort of renewal happened in this moment. Unspoken apologies are given between the laughs of her friends and it’s as if the three of them were continuing from where they left off. Like that five year break had never happened. In this moment, they were the three nine year olds on a quest to have fun and make the most of themselves. 

Nozomi carefully brings out her phone, quietly opening up her camera and sneaking a quick snapshot of the two of them. The sound of the camera click is heard and Nico and Eli freeze, their attention falling on Nozomi as she lowers her phone. She blushes embarrassed and laughs, putting her phone back into her pocket.

“Sorry,” She apologizes, nervously playing with her skirt again. “I couldn’t resist. You both looked really happy and cute.”

Nico and Eli pull apart, sharing a look for the umpteenth time that day. Even after all this time, they could still read each other well and slow smirks grew on their faces.

“Get her phone, Nico!” Eli declares, pushing herself up from the floor. 

“Got it!” Nico shouts, advancing from her spot to Nozomi. The violet haired girl yelps in surprise, digging into her pocket and clutching her phone to her chest as she backs away from the twin tailed girl.

“Hand it over, Non-tan!” Nico commands, getting closer to Nozomi and reaching for the phone.

Nozomi holds it up and out of her reach, laughing as Nico leans against her and struggles to grab the phone. She uses her free hand to keep Nico out of reach as the black haired girl reaches desperately to grab it.

“No way! What do you need it for!?” She asks through her giggles. 

She doesn’t notice Eli sneaking over, swooping in and grabbing the phone directly from her outstretched hand. She cries out and her and Nico fall backward, Nico grinning and laughing triumphantly on top of her as Eli beams down towards them. She looks around for someway to retrieve her phone, desperate to get the advantage. She sees Eli’s feet next to her and she doesn’t miss the opportunity to pull them out from underneath her and with a loud thud, the blonde lands directly on her butt.

“AH!” Eli’s laughing as Nozomi struggles to retrieve her phone from the blonde’s hands. 

Nico’s clinging onto her from the side, trying to pull Nozomi back and help Eli out. Nozomi’s stronger than she looks and with a lot of laughing and squirming, half of Nozomi ends up in Eli’s lap as she lets her hands fall and lies there, breathing a bit heavy from all the giggling that came from her. They all fall into a comfortable silence, too content with the mood to do anything but enjoy it. Eli places Nozomi’s phone carefully on the ground next to them all and Nico presses herself closer to Nozomi. One thing is on the violet haired girl’s mind and she closes her eyes, relaxing a bit and Nico speaks.

“Do you think we’ll be okay?”

It’s might not be the same, but it’s similar to her question to Eli earlier and Nozomi wonders exactly how to answer it. It’s impossible to tell right now what they’re future might be like. Maybe she’ll move again. Maybe they’re personalities are just too different now. Being a teenager is a completely different experience compared to the daily lives of a child. Not even her cards could predict exactly how the relationship between them might go, but Nozomi places a hand on top of Nico’s head, eventually giving her an answer.

“I think so.” She starts, smiling as she thinks about it. “Nothing can change what we went through or who we’ve started to become, but I don’t think that will affect us. When it comes down to it, I think we’ll always be around for each other.”

Nico and Eli look at Nozomi, and she opens her eyes, peering up at Eli and turning to glance at Nico.

“We have an unbreakable bond, y’know?” She grins a bit. “Look at us now. Not even ten minutes ago you were telling me about everything that went on when I was gone. Now we’re in a pile on the floor.”

Nico laughs and pushes herself off Nozomi, who in turn sits up from Eli’s lap. The three of them stay close and Eli hands Nozomi her phone again. Nozomi thanks her and the blonde looks at the both of them, deciding to say what’s on her mind.

“I don’t want to be anything less than best friends with you two.” She confesses. She has her beautiful crooked smile on her lips as she brushes some strands of hair behind her ear. “Even if we have different goals or things we want to do, I’d rather be alongside you two than do it on my own.”

Nico smirks a bit.

“You mean that?” She asks in a playful voice. “You’ll stick around when I need you the most?”

Eli quirks her eyebrow questioningly, but confirms it for Nico anyway.

“Yes, I mean it.” There’s no hesitance in her voice and Nico shouts triumphantly.

“You said it! So you have to hold true to it!” She moves over to her bag, digging around for a bit until she pulls out a form of some sort.

“What’s that Nicocchi?” Nozomi asks, curiously looking at the paper.

“A club registration form!” Nico replies, sliding it to Eli with a smirk. “Congratulations Eli, you’re the first member of Nico Yazawa’s idol research club!”

Nozomi laughs as Eli’s lips go tight, a tiny frown forming on her face as a couple thoughts run through her mind. Without saying a word, she grabs her own bag and pulls out a pen, gesturing for the form in Nico’s hands. The black haired girl smirks proudly, watching Eli sign her name in the top spot of the form.

“Jokes on you, because I’ve also enlisted in the student council.” Eli says, writing the last stroke of her name and handing it back to Nico. 

“Is that what the upperclassmen wanted with you today?” Nozomi asks with a curious grin. Eli nods.

“Otonokizaka Academy is the same high school my grandma went to. I told her I planned on joining the student council and sought out the group this morning to see if there were any availabilities. Turns out there are quite a few, so they recruited me later on today.”

“That’s alright. It doesn’t change the fact you’re still a member of my club too.” Nico grins. “You’ll be excused from club activities for student council duties only!” 

“Alright, alright. I’m in then.” Eli chuckles, turning to Nozomi. “What about you, Non-tan? You’ll be with us too, right?”

Nozomi smiles as Eli uses her childhood nickname and the fluffy feeling that had been dormant in her chest since lunch begins to expand throughout her chest. She doesn’t need to think twice about her answer. She takes the pen from Eli and holds her hand out for the club form.

“Of course! I’d miss out on all the fun if I didn’t join.” 

She signs her name neatly in the box underneath Eli’s, content with her work the moment she’s finished. She stares at the only three names on the form, the warmth inside her chest growing even more. This is it. This is the beginning of a new stage in the lives of the three of them. She lets her mind wander, wondering what kind of shenanigans will come their way. It’s something she considers asking the cards about as Nico takes the form and slips it back into her bag.

The three of them get back to their tea, Nozomi finally taking her abandoned cookie and munching on it as Nico begins to describe the club and what they’ll do (“It’ll be just like when we were younger, except better! We’ll start by covering other songs but eventually we’ll make our own too!”) She and Eli listen intently to the ideas Nico has for her club and occasionally Eli slips in her own opinion on Nico’s suggestions.

They move on to other topics eventually, spending a few hours going from one thing to the next, catching up with each other and learning the new things about one another. Nozomi learns about Nico’s step-dad and her new baby brother (who is a cheeky little boy, from what Nico has to say about him.) She learns about Eli’s extremely awkward social skills, laughing uncontrollably when Eli describes a moment at her junior high graduation where a boy had confessed his undying love for her and how her only reply was ‘Thanks I guess?’. She mentions new things about herself as well, educating the two of them about the temples and shrines she had seen that inspired her, and about her spiritual power. 

Eventually it’s time for Nico and Eli to head home, and Nozomi walks with them to the door. They slip their shoes on, double checking they had everything they brought. Nico looks at Nozomi, holding her hand out and speaking in a stern tone.

“Hand me your phone, Non-tan.” She instructs. Nozomi blinks surprised, but pulls it out of her pocket nonetheless.

“Okay?” She questions, but watches Nico unlock the screen and head straight to her contacts.

“There. Now you have my number.” The red eyed girl hands Nozomi’s phone back to her. “It’s my home phone number right now, but Mama promised I’d get my own phone for my birthday.” 

“That’s a good idea!” Eli’s face lights up and she holds her hand out for Nozomi’s phone as well. “Let me add mine too.”

Nozomi passes her phone to Eli with a wordless smile and watches the blonde eagerly add her own number.  When she’s finished she hands it back to Nozomi, her fingers grazing the green eyed girl’s hand as she pulls it away. Nozomi stares at her phone for a moment, looking at the two other contacts aside from her parents with a tiny smile. An idea hits her and she quickly goes to her camera, opening it up and looking to them with a grin.

“One last thing before you go-”

Eli and Nico watch Nozomi turn around, holding the camera upward and angling it differently. They both look up to see the three of them on the screen, Nozomi’s big dimpled smile catching their eyes almost immediately. Without questioning it they move closer to her, looking up at the phone and smiling along with her. Nico flashes her trademark “Nico Nii” hand signs and Nozomi takes the photo with a quick tap of her finger and brings her phone back down, smiling at the end result. 

“Perfect.” Nozomi whispers, holding her phone closer and turning to face Eli and Nico one last time for the day. “The perfect picture to commemorate a perfect beginning.” 

Eli and Nico beam and the black haired girl moves to the door, opening it slowly for both her and Eli. They step outside and Eli hesitates just in front of the doorway, turning to Nozomi. The violet haired girl tilts her head, waiting for Eli to say what’s on her mind.

“One last thing,” She starts, a hint of worry in her voice. “How long do you think we might have with you until you have to leave again?” 

Nico’s gaze finds Nozomi and she swallows. She doesn’t know how to answer Eli, because in truth it could be in the next couple months, or even in the next year. Nozomi never understood how her parents were able to travel so easily from job to job. But there was one thing she did know for certain.

“I’m not sure, Elichi.” She answers. “But I’m not gunna let myself leave so easily this time around. This was all fates doing, and I’m not gunna let a blessing like this slip through my fingers.”

The answer reassures Eli and Nico the little bit they need, and they finally say goodbye to Nozomi for the night. The violet haired girl watches them walk down the hallway with a smile on her face and the warm feeling staying in her chest. She doesn’t need the cards to tell her that the three of them would be on the path to a brand new chapter of their story and she steps back into her apartment, closing the door behind her and silently deciding to make the most of every moment that came their way.

And that’s just what she does. All throughout their first year, she makes the most of their early idol activities, learning about the thrill of singing and dancing live in front of an audience and sharing it with Nico and Eli in their matching costumes. Their steps aren’t as perfect as Eli would like, but their voices are on key and they make their audience smile like Nico aims for them to. 

She joins the student council to assist Eli when the blonde begins to overwork herself, and even Nico gives them a hand when second year comes along and the student council decides to enlist Eli as the future student council president. Idol activities between the three of them are put on hold, but Nozomi and Eli make sure to spend time in the clubroom with Nico as much as possible, even if it means bringing their work with them. They have a great time together between school and student council duties, especially when it comes to teasing one another (especially Nico and her love for their rivals at UTX.)

Nozomi’s readings get better and better and they warn her of an upcoming move she might have to expect. The move happens, but it all benefits the violet haired girl. Halfway through her second year, she moves into her own place right down the road from the shrine. Nico and Eli are there every step of the way, helping Nozomi move into the small apartment and celebrating with a small house warming party amongst the three of them.

Later on -after Nozomi’s settled with her new routine and her apartment- the three of them would sit together with Nozomi on her bed as she called her parents to tell them she’s a lesbian. They’d smile along with their older friend as her parents celebrate on the other line, happy that their daughter is who she is and proud she was able to tell them. When they get off the line, they celebrate amongst themselves with their favourite snacks and one of Nico’s favourite idol dvds.

By the time their final year at Otonokizaka begins, Nozomi’s walls are decorated with various photos and memories she got to make with her two best friends. From the very first day they hung out as children, to their first day as third years, Nozomi puts every memory on display with a smile on her face. Her lonely days spent missing her beloved friends was no longer an issue because she got to spend everyday with the people that mean the world to her. 

She now sits with Eli in the student council room, going through documents together and trying to swallow the fact that the school they spent their teenage years making all these memories at would be closing down after the final class of first years graduate. It doesn’t settle well with either of them, but it’s something that’s completely out of their hands. The school was old and unpopular. With UTX not too far away and a having a lot more to offer their students, it was inevitable that Otonokizaka would soon close its doors to new students. Was this how their final year together in school would go? The three of them continuing as they were, without even attempting to save the place that held a special place in all three of their hearts?

The answer comes in the form of a knock at the door. Eli’s confused, but calls out to the visitors.

“Come in.” 

Three second years enter the room, and Nozomi immediately recognizes one of them as the director's daughter, Minami Kotori. She and Eli went to ask her about the school’s closure a few days beforehand, and the two girls she enters the room with had been there that day as well. She stands to the left of the ginger haired girl, who has a glint of determination in her vibrant blue eyes. To the ginger haired girls right is a composed girl with long blue hair, who Nozomi remembers seeing in the archery club a few times. Sonoda Umi was her name, if she was correct on that thought.

Which left the oddly positive girl in the center. The name was escaping the violet haired girl, but that didn’t matter as she began to introduce herself to them.

“Pardon our intrusion, President!” Her voice is bubbly and excited, and it intrigues Nozomi more than she expects. “My name is Kousaka Honoka, and I’d like to submit a form for a new club!” 

A curious glint flashes through Eli’s eyes as she holds her hand out for the form, taking it from the second year and scanning it quickly. Her eyes widen and she rereads the form, before looking at Honoka with a raised eyebrow.

“You want to form a school idol club?” She asks the girls in front of her.

Those are the only words that register in Nozomi’s mind and a slow smile creeps on her face as Honoka begins explaining her plan to Eli. Eli wasn’t pleased with the girls intentions, but Nozomi doesn’t need her cards to tell her how this might play out. She leans on the table, eyeing the three of them curiously.

This was just another beginning to a new adventure in a new chapter, and she intends to bring Eli and Nico long for one last, thrilling ride in their high school career.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading, kudos, leaving comments and reviews! Every bit of it is very much appreciated, and I hope you look forward to the next story I bring!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, kudos, and comments c:!


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